Autonomous Systems Intelligence

Cyberhawk is a critical-infrastructure intelligence company providing drone-based inspection, visual data management, and AI-enabled asset analytics through its iHawk platform for utility, energy, and industrial customers worldwide.

ANELLO Photonics develops silicon-photonics optical-gyroscope inertial navigation systems for precise positioning in GPS-denied environments.

Auterion develops an open, PX4-based operating system and software stack for autonomous drones and robotic vehicles across enterprise and defense.

Castelion mass-produces hypersonic weapons, including the Mach 5-plus Blackbeard missile, for the U.S. military.

Firestorm Labs builds 3D-printed modular UAS (the Tempest line) and the xCell containerized field-deployable drone factory for ISR, EW, and strike.

Forterra builds full-stack autonomy (AutoDrive) that lets ground vehicles operate driverlessly off-road for U.S. defense ground-autonomy programs.

Greenroom Robotics builds maritime autonomy software (GAMA) that gives crewed and uncrewed surface vessels COLREGS-compliant autonomous navigation.

Helsing is Europe's leading sovereign defense-AI company. Its AI backbone spans domains: land (Altra ISR/targeting), air (Centaur AI fighter-pilot, the CA-1 Europa autonomous combat aircraft, and Eurofighter electronic-warfare AI), underwater (Lura AI with SG-1 Fathom autonomous submarine-hunting gliders), and space (the KIRK joint venture with OHB for tactical targeting). Privately held, multi-billion-euro valuation.

Kodiak builds the Kodiak Driver autonomous-vehicle system for commercial freight and driverless military ground vehicles.

Mach Industries is a vertically integrated maker of unmanned strike and defense systems, including the Viper VTOL UAV and Stratos surveillance platform.

Neros designs and mass-produces American-made FPV attack drones and loitering munitions for U.S. and allied forces.

Overland AI builds autonomous uncrewed ground vehicles and the OverDrive autonomy software stack for off-road military operations.

Quantum Systems designs and manufactures electric VTOL fixed-wing reconnaissance and surveillance UAVs for defense and commercial use.

Reliable Robotics builds an FAA-certifiable autonomy system that retrofits aircraft for fully automated, remotely-supervised flight.

Skyryse builds SkyOS, a universal flight operating system that automates takeoff, hover, landing, and emergency procedures for any aircraft.

Wingcopter builds fixed-wing eVTOL delivery drones for medical supply chains and last-mile logistics.

Petaluma, California Group 2/3 UAS manufacturer founded 2004, ~270 employees at acquisition. Builds the JUMP 20 (multi-mission, medium-endurance VTOL needing no launch/recovery equipment, 14+ hr endurance, 30 lb payload) and the catapult-launched T-20. Long-time USSOCOM MEUAS III/IV supplier and one of four awardees on the US Army FTUAS competition. Acquired by AeroVironment for ~$405M ($355M cash + $50M stock); deal announced 26 Jan 2021, closed 19 Feb 2021. JUMP 20 has been rebranded by AV as the AeroVironment JUMP 20 / T-20.

Rockville, Maryland advanced-R&D firm (75+ PhDs) specializing in AI/ML, cybersecurity, hypersonics, space, 5G, data analytics, and RF/communications, with a substantial DoD-funded IP portfolio. Acquired by BlueHalo in August 2021 to bolster BlueHalo's technical capabilities and productization pipeline; now operates inside the BlueHalo platform, which itself was acquired by AeroVironment in May 2025 ($4.1B all-stock).

Independent US light-helicopter manufacturer, HQ in Mesa, Arizona. Lineage: Hughes Helicopters (1947) → McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (1984) → MD Helicopters Inc. (spun out by Boeing in 1999 to RDM Holding) → Patriarch Partners LLC (2005) → Chapter 11 March 2022 → emerged August 2022 as MD Helicopters, LLC under an investment consortium of MBIA Insurance, Bardin Hill Investment Partners LP, and MB Global Partners (current owners). NOT owned by Lockheed Martin and never was — the historical Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas connection ended in 1999. Boeing retained the rights to the military Little Bird (AH-6/MH-6) variant used by 160th SOAR; MD Helicopters builds the civil/military 500-series (MD500E, MD530F Cayuse Warrior, MD520N NOTAR), the 600N, and the MD902 Explorer. Targeting 50 aircraft/year production by 2025 under President/CEO Brad Pedersen.

Israeli defense-software firm, 25+ years operating history, ~185 employees, HQ in Rosh Ha'ayin. Developer of the BRO (Battle Resource Optimization) platform — a modular, vendor-agnostic AI software system that aggregates data from sensors, C2 systems, and operational platforms across air defense, counter-drone, electronic warfare, intelligence collection, border defense, and spectrum management missions. BRO supports the full mission lifecycle from early planning through dynamic real-time adjustments to post-mission debriefing. Omnisys is the 15th company acquired by Ondas in the past two years and the software-orchestration layer of the OAS stack — it sits above hardware platforms like Optimus, Iron Drone, Roboteam, and Apeiro, providing the AI-driven C2 brain that orchestrates multi-domain autonomous operations.

Ondas Inc.'s capital-allocation and advisory business unit, launched September 2, 2025 at DSEI in London and led by James Acuna. Sits at the holding-company level (not under OAS) and serves three purposes: (1) deploys at least $150M over 2025-2027 into minority and strategic investments in unmanned aerial/ground robotics, advanced simulation, and AI software for autonomous operations; (2) provides advisory services to accelerate scaling of mature combat-proven defense tech; (3) builds bridges between Eastern European battlefield-tested technologies (especially Ukraine) and Allied US/Europe defense procurement. Operates with a separate board and European presence in Estonia, Ukraine, and the UK. Distinct from OAS — Ondas Capital does NOT acquire companies for vertical integration; it takes minority strategic positions to extend the OAS ecosystem.

Australian (Port Melbourne) computer-vision firm founded 1999 by Dr. Paul Boxer. Flagship ViDAR (Visual Detection and Ranging) optical-radar system uses EO/IR sensors to autonomously detect small objects (vessels, persons, aircraft) across very wide ocean and land swaths invisible to humans or radar. Also produces Sentient Observer wide-area motion imagery (WAMI). Post-acquisition forms core of Shield AI Australia and is being integrated with Hivemind AI pilot to build AI-piloted ISR sensor packages.

Wholly-owned Lockheed Martin subsidiary since November 2015 ($9.0B all-cash acquisition from United Technologies, announced July 20, 2015, closed November 6, 2015). HQ in Stratford, Connecticut. Builds the UH-60 Black Hawk family, CH-53K King Stallion, S-92, and S-97 Raider. Owns Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec (acquired 2007 by UTC, transferred to LM in the 2015 deal), which manufactures Black Hawk cabins and final-assembles S-70i International Black Hawks. Sikorsky is aligned under the Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems business segment. ~15,000 employees across 11 countries.

Melbourne, Florida common-control software firm founded 2018 by Brad Truesdell (CEO) and Matt Summer (CTO). Flagship Kinesis is an AI-enhanced, open-architecture common controller widely fielded across DoD for operating heterogeneous UxVs (ground, air, maritime) and third-party sensors from a single pane of glass. Acquired by AeroVironment for $120M cash + stock (announced 22 Aug 2023, closed 18 Sept 2023); folded into AV's SUAS business unit within the Unmanned Systems segment while retaining the Florida workforce and facilities.