Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new Autonomous Warfare Command to speed up the U.S. military’s adoption of drones, robotics, and AI.
- Ondas launched Dronebuster Reach to disrupt drone communications from longer distances compared to its existing products.
- Boeing secured two major fighter plane contracts, edging out Northrop Grumman.
- L3Harris received a contract from Lockheed Martin worth more than $6 billion.
U.S. defense stocks were in focus this week as Washington accelerated efforts to replenish missile inventories, expand production capacity and push the military toward artificial intelligence and autonomous warfare.
Boeing (BA) scored major fighter-jet awards, RTX (RTX) and L3Harris (LHX) secured massive missile-related contracts, and Ondas (ONDS) expanded its counter-drone portfolio.
U.S. Defense Spending Gets Another Boost
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the creation of an Autonomous Warfare Command, or AutoWarCom, to accelerate the military’s use of drones, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
“The pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it,” Hegseth reportedly said, adding that the military now needs both “quality and quantity.”
Ondas Expands Counter-Drone Push
Ondas launched Dronebuster REACH this week, a long-range counter-drone system designed to electronically disrupt hostile drones.
The first system is already under contract for delivery to the U.S. Office of Naval Research. REACH can reportedly disrupt drone communications and navigation systems from longer distances than the company’s existing counter-drone products.
Boeing Scores Two Major Fighter Plane Wins
Boeing (BA) had a big week after the U.S. Navy selected it to develop the F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter, beating Northrop Grumman (NOC). NOC remains the prime contractor for the Air Force’s B-21 Raider
The development program, worth more than $20 billion, will produce multiple test aircraft, with the F/A-XX eventually expected to replace the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornets.
Separately, Boeing secured a $2.38 billion contract for 22 additional F-15EX fighters, taking the number under U.S. Air Force contract to 120.
RTX, L3Harris Land Missile Deals
RTX’s (RTX) unit Raytheon won a contract worth up to $20.7 billion to accelerate production of AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. The Pentagon wants annual production to reach at least 1,900 missiles.
Meanwhile, L3Harris (LHX) received a contract from Lockheed Martin (LMT) worth more than $6 billion over seven years to increase propulsion production for the THAAD missile-defense system.
The spending push comes against the backdrop of the U.S.-Iran conflict, which has put pressure on American missile and air-defense inventories, adding urgency to the Pentagon’s effort to rebuild stockpiles and expand production capacity.
What Do Stocktwits Users Think Of These Stocks?
Retail sentiment on Stocktwits remained ‘bullish’ for BA, ‘bearish’ for LHX, and ‘neutral’ for ONDS and RTX.
The above-mentioned stocks are all in the red so far this year, with RTX clocking the slowest decline, down about 1.2%. Boeing (BA) has fallen roughly 11.9%, while L3Harris (LHX) has dropped about 21.7%. Ondas (ONDS) has been the weakest performer among the group, crashing around 35.4%.
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