The $76B Robot War: 5 Stocks Powering the Pentagon’s Autonomous Shift

Issued on behalf of VisionWave Holdings, Inc.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — USA News Group News Commentary – The Department of Defense is accelerating unmanned platform deployment across air, sea, land, space, and subsurface domains as Congress approved $8 billion in defense spending with $1.5 billion for artificial intelligence and autonomous systems^[1]. Autonomous surface vessels are integrating into the Pentagon’s command network, enabling thousands of platforms to operate in contested environments without risking personnel^[2]. This multi-domain shift positions defense contractors with active unmanned programs as beneficiaries of Pentagon modernization funding, including VisionWave Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: VWAV), Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY), Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HII), Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ: SAIC), and Leonardo DRS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRS).

The military unmanned systems market is projected to reach $76.05 billion by 2035 from $28.02 billion in 2025, a 10.5% annual growth rate as agencies prioritize autonomous platforms. The Pentagon’s prototype-to-production timeline of under 12 months versus traditional five-to-seven-year cycles creates immediate opportunities for companies delivering capabilities across warfighting domains.

VisionWave Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: VWAV) announced a non-binding letter of intent with Evie Autonomous Limited to explore a £500,000 Proof-of-Concept program integrating autonomous vehicle technology into VisionWave’s Unmanned Ground Vehicle platforms. Discussions began in August 2025 alongside VisionWave’s expansion of its London-based UGV R&D engineering team, targeting advanced navigation and multi-sensor fusion capabilities for the Varan UGV platform unveiled in November 2025. The POC program, if pursued, is anticipated to commence in 2026 pending definitive agreements.

Earlier this month, VisionWaveinitiated the patent application process for a planned series of patents covering key technologies underlying Argus, the company’s space-enabled, AI-driven counter-unmanned aircraft system. The intellectual property strategy targets Argus’s core architecture including the SkyWeave high-frequency communications backbone, space and ground-based drone detection methods, and end-to-end decision frameworks for detection, classification, tracking, and engagement. Additional filings are expected to address HF-enabled sensor fusion, multi-layer control logic, and secure encryption mechanisms optimized for contested environments.

VisionWave
entered into a definitive Share Purchase Agreement to acquire 100% of Solar Drone Ltd., an autonomous robotics company and subsidiary of BladeRanger Ltd. (TASE: BLRN), marking the company’s first acquisition since completing its de-SPAC in July 2025. The transaction involves 1,800,000 shares of common stock with closing expected on or about December 10, 2025, subject to standard conditions. Solar Drone completed a 100-day Proof of Concept with DB InfraGO AG through DB mindbox, with DB InfraGO AG recommending advancement to discussions with Sky Operations, DB Services, and DB Energie departments.

The acquisition positions VisionWave to address both defense applications and the solar operations and maintenance robotics market, supported by over 165 GW of installed U.S. utility-scale solar capacity and more than 260 GW in Europe. VisionWaveunveiled Argus in collaboration with BladeRanger, combining space-based imaging, AI object recognition, resilient HF connectivity, and layered interceptors designed to detect, classify, track, and defeat hostile unmanned aircraft across wide operational areas.

“By seeking to structure Argus as a multi-patent platform and moving forward with a deliberate filing program, we aim to secure a defensible position around technologies we believe will be central to the next generation of wide-area counter-drone defense,” said Douglas Davis, Executive Chairman of VisionWave Holdings Inc.

VisionWave’s December announcements reflect accelerated execution following its July 2025 de-SPAC listing, with the company advancing multiple parallel initiatives across counter-UAS systems, autonomous ground vehicles, and industrial robotics. The completed Solar Drone acquisition, combined with the Evie Autonomous partnership discussions and Argus patent filings, positions VisionWave to address defense, security, and commercial markets through a multi-domain autonomy strategy extending into 2026.

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Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY), announced a $42.5 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command for Delivery Order 3 of its Organic Precision Fires-Light program. The company will deliver more than 600 of its advanced Rogue 1 lethal loitering munition systems, along with ground control stations and training kits, for fielding to Marine Corps units starting this summer. The Rogue 1 features advanced electro-optical and FLIR Boson 640+ thermal cameras to deliver day/night long-range reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, enabling small units to directly engage targets beyond line of sight.

“The accuracy and modularity of the Rogue 1 platform will enhance Marine lethality against whatever threats they may encounter in future conflicts,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, President of Teledyne FLIR Defense. “We’re honored to support the OPF-L program and will continue to work with the Marine Corps to quickly field technology innovations they need to win on the battlefield.”

This award represents Teledyne’s first production rate contract in the loitering munition market, following the initial test and evaluation contract in 2024. The company’s advanced thermal imaging and surveillance sensor capabilities extend across air, land, and maritime applications, with Teledyne FLIR Defense maintaining a 45-year track record of providing mission-critical technology for military, security, and public safety operations worldwide.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HII) has reached 30% completion on its ROMULUS unmanned surface vessel prototype, marking significant progress toward delivering AI-powered autonomous defense capabilities designed to protect naval forces and maritime assets. The modular USV platform will support critical security missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, counter-unmanned air systems, mine countermeasures, and strike operations when sea trials begin in Q4 2026. Built around HII’s proven Odyssey Autonomous Control System deployed across more than 35 USV platforms and over 750 unmanned underwater vehicles in 30 countries, ROMULUS delivers speeds exceeding 25 knots and a range of 2,500 nautical miles for mission flexibility across global theaters.

“ROMULUS is progressing at a pace that reflects the urgency of the mission and the strength of our partnerships,” said Andy Green, president of HII’s Mission Technologies division. “Breaux Brothers and our industry team are delivering a platform that brings scale, autonomy and real operational advantage to the fleet.”

The AI-enabled vessel integrates autonomous capabilities from Shield AI, Applied Intuition, and C3 AI to enhance security operations while enabling manned-unmanned teaming for distributed maritime defense. HII successfully completed initial autonomy testing aboard the ROMULUS 20 USV in November, advancing operational deployment of the platform designed to meet current and emerging requirements of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, joint forces and allies.

Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ: SAIC) has been awarded a $242 million contract by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport to operate, maintain and modernize the Propulsion Test Facility, underscoring the Navy’s confidence in the company’s engineering and technical capabilities. The five-year follow-on contract enables critical testing operations for the Mk 48 Heavyweight Torpedo, Mk 54 Lightweight Torpedo, unmanned underwater vehicles and submarine sensors across multiple specialized facilities.

“Supporting the Propulsion Test Facility and the Navy’s torpedo enterprise as a mission integrator has given SAIC the opportunity to deliver innovation directly where our customers need it most, from Mk 48 production to advanced test-equipment design and other critical programs across NUWC Division Newport,” said Barbara Supplee, SAIC executive vice president of the Navy Business Group. “This new contract allows us to further support our customers through next-generation torpedo test-set production for domestic and FMS maintenance facilities.”

The company will continue advancing the Deep Depth Test Facility, the Navy’s only land-based testing system capable of evaluating an Mk 48 torpedo afterbody throughout its entire operational envelope. SAIC employs approximately 24,000 professionals and reported annual revenues of $7.5 billion.

Leonardo DRS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRS) announced the successful first on-orbit test of its revolutionary multi-channel software-defined radio with integrated advanced cryptography. The XCM3-Space system adapts the company’s next-generation crypto and multi-channel SDR capabilities to the space domain, addressing emerging cyber and electronic warfare threats to military satellite data transport. Launched aboard a Proteus Mercury satellite in late November, the XCM3-Space testbed operated successfully in Low Earth Orbit, meeting all primary objectives, with development completed in less than 12 months through internal investment.

“Our investments in next-generation low Earth orbit SDR provides a decisive leap forward, overcoming the limitations of legacy systems that are rigid and difficult to update once deployed,” said Larry Ezell, senior vice president and general manager of Leonardo DRS Airborne and Intelligence Systems. “With crypto-enabled, fully reprogrammable architecture, this SDR is designed to support current and future secure transport needs for the U.S. Space Force, Space Development Agency, the Missile Defense Agency’s Golden Dome priorities, and other critical all-domain missions.”

A second system is scheduled for launch in 2026 to demonstrate additional edge processing and waveform capabilities. The capability will be a key enabler for space-based detection and interception of ballistic and hypersonic missile threats, requiring onboard data encryption and decryption capabilities to ensure protected communications at the tactical edge.

Article Sources:

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