Ondas subsidiary places initial order of 500 WÃ¥sp drones for US defense market

BOSTON - Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS), whose stock has delivered an impressive 858% return over the past year according to InvestingPro data, announced Thursday it has placed an initial order of 500 WÃ¥sp drones from Rift Dynamics to begin U.S. defense market distribution through its American Robotics subsidiary.

The WÃ¥sp is described as a combat-ready, NDAA-compliant drone system designed to meet U.S. Department of War requirements for "mass affordable" strike and perimeter defense platforms. According to the company’s press release, the system features modular architecture and NATO interoperability.

"This first 500-unit order marks the beginning of a scalable program to deliver affordable, operationally effective attritable drone systems to U.S. defense customers," said Eric Brock, Chairman and CEO of Ondas Holdings.

Production will be handled by Kitron, a defense electronics manufacturer with U.S. facilities. The companies state that Kitron’s manufacturing network can scale to more than 20,000 units monthly worldwide within six months of order.

Gary Tarallo, Managing Director of Kitron’s U.S. Operations, said the partnership "will create well needed job opportunities" at their Windber facility.

American Robotics, an Ondas subsidiary, holds exclusive U.S. distribution rights for the WÃ¥sp platform. The company reports it is pursuing Department of War program bids and expects initial deliveries in Q4 2025.

Ondas Holdings is a strategic investor in Norway-based Rift Dynamics, which develops drone systems for military and security applications. The WÃ¥sp platform joins Ondas’ existing portfolio that includes the Optimus autonomous aerial system and Iron Drone Raider counter-UAS solution.

The announcement was made in a company press release.

In other recent news, Ondas Holdings Inc. has secured a $3.5 million order from a major defense entity for multiple unmanned ground vehicles and mission payloads. This order aims to enhance the customer’s robotic capabilities for security, logistics, and tactical operations. Additionally, Lake Street Capital Markets has raised its price target for Ondas Holdings to $8.00 from $5.00, maintaining a Buy rating on the stock. The price target increase follows a notable stock price appreciation over the past two months, according to the firm. Ondas Holdings also announced that Brigadier General Patrick Huston, U.S. Army (ret.), has joined the advisory board of its Ondas Autonomous Systems unit. In the UK, Karl Eze has been appointed as Strategic Advisor for Ondas Capital, focusing on technology and defense sectors. Furthermore, Ondas is set to begin U.S. production of combat-proven fiber-optic communication spools through its subsidiary, American Robotics, in the fourth quarter of 2025. These spools, developed by the recently acquired Apeiro Motion, are designed to provide secure connectivity in challenging environments.

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