Kratos and Champion Tire & Wheel Expand Automated Truck Platooning for NASCAR 2026 Season
Rhea-AI Summary
Kratos (Nasdaq: KTOS) will expand automated truck platooning in support of Champion Tire & Wheel’s NASCAR logistics for the 2026 season, demonstrating scaled autonomy in time-critical race supply chains. Debut of newly branded trailers is scheduled for Daytona 500 weekend; a cross-country deployment to Naval Base Coronado is planned for June.
Kratos pairs a human-driven lead truck with an automated follower to maintain coordinated speed, braking, and steering, aiming for repeatable, safe performance while advancing dual-use defense-to-commercial autonomy.
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Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
KTOS is down 0.83% while close peers show a mixed picture: DRS -0.92%, AVAV -6.71%, ERJ -0.54%, but HII +1.68% and TXT +0.76%. With no peers in the momentum scanner, the move appears company-specific rather than a sector-wide rotation.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10 | Program selection | Positive | -5.4% | Selected for Phase 1 Gauntlet in Drone Dominance Program competition. |
| Feb 05 | UAV test success | Positive | -6.7% | Successful test of Mighty Hornet IV attack UAV integration with NCSIST. |
| Feb 03 | Contract awards | Positive | +7.5% | Announced aviation and warfighter simulator awards totaling about $65 million. |
| Jan 13 | New facility | Positive | +1.6% | Opened 55,000-square-foot hypersonic manufacturing and integration facility. |
| Jan 12 | Operations expansion | Positive | +3.7% | Expanded Birmingham operations with new 40,000-square-foot integration facility. |
Recent news has often been positive in nature, with three of the last five announcements (contracts and facility expansions) followed by price gains, while two defense-program-related updates saw negative next-day reactions.
Over the past month, Kratos announced several growth-oriented developments, including a new 40,000-square-foot facility in Birmingham, a 55,000-square-foot hypersonic manufacturing site for the $1.4 billion MACH-TB 2.0 contract, and new aviation and warfighter simulator awards totaling about $65 million. Program-related milestones such as participation in the Drone Dominance Phase 1 Gauntlet and a successful Mighty Hornet IV integration test also featured. The current NASCAR logistics autonomy deployment continues this theme of showcasing dual-use technologies in operational settings.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights Kratos’ continued push to demonstrate scalable autonomy by extending automated truck platooning support for NASCAR logistics in 2026, building on a 2025 industry-first deployment at the Brickyard 400. It underscores the company’s dual-use approach, applying defense-derived autonomy to commercial logistics and a planned Anduril 250 deployment tied to the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary. Investors may watch for follow-on contracts, broader adoption of these technologies, and how this complements recent defense awards and facility expansions.
Key Terms
automated truck platooning technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Autonomy Proves its Value when it Performs in the Real World - On Schedule, Safely, and Repeatedly
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a Technology Company in the Defense, National Security, and Global Markets, today announced continued support of Champion Tire & Wheel’s NASCAR logistics for the 2026 season. This will be further advancement of Kratos’ automated truck platooning and logistics automation technologies, demonstrating scalable autonomy in demanding, real-world operations.
The fast-paced, time-critical environment of race logistics offers an ideal proving ground for autonomy designed to enhance coordination, consistency, and efficiency. Kratos’ auto-platooning capability pairs a human-driven lead vehicle with an automated follower maintaining coordinated speed, braking, and steering to deliver repeatable performance while preserving operational flexibility and safety.
Kratos is kicking off the season by debuting newly branded trailers during the Daytona 500 race weekend, underscoring the company’s growing role in technology-enabled supply chain operations.
Kratos’ Automated Truck Platooning
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f38ccf84-a5bc-4505-8403-98c9629ee4bc
“Autonomy proves its value when it performs in the real world—on schedule, safely, and repeatedly,” said Maynard Factor, VP of Business Development at Kratos. “Our support of motorsports logistics during the 2026 NASCAR season advances field-proven platooning technology while reinforcing the Kratos dual-use innovation strategy. By adapting defense-derived autonomy technologies for demanding commercial applications, we accelerate maturity, affordability, and readiness for national security initiatives.”
This year’s deployment objectives build on the 2025 milestone when Kratos and Champion executed an industry-first automated truck platoon supporting motorsport logistics for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It validated the Kratos approach that integrates advanced autonomy into existing commercial workflows while demonstrating repeatable and reliable performance.
Looking ahead, Kratos’ 2026 season support includes a planned cross-country auto-platooning deployment to Naval Base Coronado for the Anduril 250 in June, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy. The event holds special significance for Kratos, whose technologies support multiple Navy programs and national security objectives. Kratos’ participation reflects both its long-standing partnership with the Navy and its commitment to advancing dual-use autonomy across defense and commercial domains.
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a technology, products, system and software company addressing the defense, national security, and commercial markets. Kratos makes true internally funded research, development, capital and other investments, to rapidly develop, produce and field solutions that address our customers’ mission critical needs and requirements. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we seek to utilize proven, leading edge approaches and technology, not unproven bleeding edge approaches or technology, with Kratos’ approach designed to reduce cost, schedule and risk, enabling us to be first to market with cost effective solutions. We believe that Kratos is known as an innovative disruptive change agent in the industry, a company that is an expert in designing products and systems up front for successful rapid, large quantity, low-cost future manufacturing which is a value add competitive differentiator for our large traditional prime system integrator partners and also to our government and commercial customers. Kratos intends to pursue program and contract opportunities as the prime or lead contractor when we believe that our probability of win (PWin) is high and any investment required by Kratos is within our capital resource comfort level. We intend to partner and team with a large, traditional system integrator when our assessment of PWin is greater or required investment is beyond Kratos’ comfort level. Kratos’ primary business areas include virtualized ground systems for satellites and space vehicles including software for command & control (C2) and telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), jet powered unmanned aerial drone systems, advanced vehicles and rocket systems, propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, space craft and launch systems, C5ISR and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, satellite, counter UAS, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual & augmented reality training systems for the warfighter. For more information, visit www.KratosDefense.com.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 29, 2024, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.
Press Contact:
Claire Cantrell
claire.cantrell@kratosdefense.com
Investor Information:
877-934-4687
investor@kratosdefense.com
FAQ
What will Kratos (KTOS) do for Champion Tire & Wheel during the 2026 NASCAR season?
When will Kratos debut its newly branded trailers at NASCAR for KTOS?
What is Kratos’ automated truck platooning technology and how does it work for KTOS?
Does Kratos (KTOS) plan any special deployments during the 2026 season?
How does Kratos say this NASCAR program advances its business and technology strategy for KTOS?
