Ondas wins Israeli drone contract as defense awards top $240M

Ondas Inc. won a multi-million-dollar Israeli defense tender for new tactical attack drones, pushing its military drone awards past $240 million.

Ondas Inc. won a multi-million-dollar tender from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to build new tactical attack drones, extending a defense pipeline that has topped $240 million as militaries shift toward low-cost autonomous systems.

"The Israeli Ministry of Defense operates at the forefront of modern defense technology and has some of the world's most demanding operational requirements," Eric Brock, chairman and chief executive of Ondas, said in a statement.

The "Digital Bat" program will deliver a low-cost tactical attack drone platform spanning autonomous functionality, mission integration, system engineering and production readiness, mirroring the priorities of the U.S. Drone Dominance Program, a $1.1 billion initiative to rapidly field scalable unmanned attack capabilities.

The award expands Ondas' position in tactical aerial attack and precision-strike systems, one of four mission areas — air defense and counter-UAS, aerial intelligence, aerial attack and unmanned ground systems — linked by AI-powered command and mission-management software.

Digital Bat's Full-Stack Scope

The tender builds on Ondas' expansion as a global defense technology provider. The West Palm Beach, Florida-based company has consolidated specialized drone and robotics units under a shared engineering, manufacturing and supply-chain operation, letting individual groups pursue larger programs. Ondas Autonomous Systems, led by co-chief executive Oshri Lugassy, will lead the development effort.

"Tactical forces increasingly require aerial systems that can be deployed rapidly, integrated directly into operational workflows and adapted as missions and threats evolve," Lugassy said. "Our approach is to develop the complete operational capability — not simply an individual drone."

The program is designed to give frontline combat units responsive, precise aerial capabilities at the unit level, complementing longer-range one-way attack and precision-strike platforms. Ondas said the effort will address the full operational capability, including the aerial platform, autonomy, mission software, production infrastructure and compatibility with wider command-and-control environments. The AI orchestration layer is meant to let sensors, aerial platforms, robotic systems and command units function as a coordinated system-of-systems rather than standalone hardware.

Defense Shift Toward Low-Cost Autonomy

The Israeli award follows a broader push by allied militaries to field cheaper, scalable unmanned systems. The U.S. Drone Dominance Program, a $1.1 billion initiative, targets low-cost one-way attack drones for frontline units — a priority Ondas said aligns with the Digital Bat program's design.

Ondas has also drawn senior defense-sector leadership as its military drone awards crossed the $240 million mark, with a former Mossad chief joining the company, according to earlier reporting.

For investors, the contract adds a named revenue stream to Ondas' defense pipeline and strengthens its case as a prime contractor for autonomous systems. Ondas shares trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker ONDS. The company said it expects the award to support further expansion across Israel, the United States and other allied defense markets, though it did not disclose the contract's exact value or delivery timeline.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.