New tactical drone system Kratos Aethon receives initial funding

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc on 11 February has announced that new tactical unmanned aerial system Aethon receives initial funding.

According to a statement released by Kratos, the company has recently received approximately $14 million in unmanned aerial drone system related contract awards, including for its newest class of tactical or intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) unmanned aerial system, Aethon.

Aethon, which was developed by Kratos and which Kratos owns the system design and data rights, is a unique intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) unmanned aerial system (UAS). 

Kratos is a leading provider of high performance unmanned aerial drone systems for threat representative target missions to exercise weapon, radar, and other systems: tactical aerial drone systems for strike, force multiplication, and amplification missions; and now tactical UAS to support ISR missions and other applications. 

Work under these recent contract awards will be performed at secure Kratos manufacturing facilities and customer locations.  Due to competitive, customer related and other considerations, no additional information will be provided related to these recent contract awards.

Eric DeMarco, Kratos’ President and CEO, said, “We believe that Kratos’ ability to rapidly develop, demonstrate, and field technology leading systems to address our customers’ mission critical national security related requirements is a clear competitive differentiator for our Company and to our customers.  We are very excited that one of our newest UAS initiatives and platforms, which is flying today, Aethon, is now under a development contract with an extremely important customer.”

For reference, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. develops and fields transformative, affordable technology, platforms and systems for United States National Security related customers, allies and commercial enterprises.

Kratos specializes in unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare, microwave electronics, missile defense, hypersonic systems, training and combat systems.