Kratos Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Ground System Contract by Airbus to Support OmanSat-1
Rhea-AI Summary
Kratos (Nasdaq: KTOS) was awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Airbus to deliver an end-to-end ground segment for Space Communication Technologies' OmanSat-1 software-defined OneSat satellite.
Kratos will supply Ka-band TT&C antennas, carrier monitoring, command-and-control, flight dynamics, orchestration software and onsite installation, commissioning, training and support from its Oman office.
Positive
- Multi-million dollar ground system contract awarded by Airbus for OmanSat-1
- Ground system integrates Ka-band TT&C, carrier monitoring, C2, flight dynamics
- Onsite delivery and support via Kratos' Oman office, enabling local commissioning
Negative
- Contract value and revenue timing not disclosed in the announcement
- No specific delivery schedule or revenue recognition timeline provided
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, KTOS gained 3.27%, reflecting a moderate positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +4.8% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 63 alerts that day, indicating high trading interest and price volatility. This price movement added approximately $542M to the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $17.11B at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
KTOS was up 2.31% with select peers like AVAV and ESLT also up in momentum scans, but mixed moves across DRS, ERJ, HII, and TXT point to stock-specific factors rather than a unified sector move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13 | Autonomy logistics deal | Positive | +2.3% | Expanded automated truck platooning for NASCAR logistics and defense-use autonomy. |
| Feb 13 | Earnings call scheduling | Neutral | +2.3% | Announcement of Q4 and FY 2025 earnings release and conference call timing. |
| Feb 10 | Drone program selection | Positive | -5.4% | Selection for Phase 1 Gauntlet in a major Drone Dominance Program competition. |
| Feb 05 | UAV system test | Positive | -6.7% | Successful test of integrated Mighty Hornet IV attack UAV with Taiwan’s NCSIST. |
| Feb 03 | Training contracts win | Positive | +7.5% | New awards with total potential value of about $65M for simulators and training. |
Positive defense and contract news often saw mixed reactions, with some sizeable selloffs on otherwise favorable updates, but strong contract wins have also coincided with notable gains.
Recent KTOS news over February shows multiple defense and autonomy wins, including a $65 million contract set, a successful Mighty Hornet IV test, and participation in a Phase 1 drone gauntlet. Price reactions have been varied: two positive items on Feb 5 and Feb 10 drew declines, while the contract awards on Feb 3 and the NASCAR logistics announcement on Feb 13 aligned with gains. Today’s Airbus ground-system award extends this contract-driven growth narrative.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement adds another notable contract to KTOS’s growing space and defense portfolio, extending recent wins like the $65 million training awards and drone-related milestones in early February. The Airbus OmanSat-1 ground-system role underscores Kratos’s position in software-defined satellite infrastructure. Investors may track how this contributes to upcoming earnings, contract backlog visibility, and execution across both unmanned systems and satellite ground solutions.
Key Terms
software-defined satellite technical
ground segment technical
ka-band technical
command and control (c2) technical
telemetry technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
End-to-End Ground System Will Maximize the Full Capabilities of Advanced Software-Defined Satellite
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a technology company in Defense, National Security and Global Markets, today announced that Airbus Defence and Space has awarded Kratos a contract to deliver a ground segment for its customer Space Communication Technologies (SCT) SPC to support the OmanSat-1 software-defined satellite.
With the growing need for mission flexibility to deliver high throughput services, Oman’s national satellite operator, SCT selected Airbus Defence and Space to deliver OmanSat-1, a fully reconfigurable high-throughput OneSat satellite and the associated ground system. Airbus selected Kratos to deliver the integrated ground system to operate the OmanSat-1 software-defined satellite.
Elodie Viau, Senior Vice President of Telecommunication and Navigation for Airbus Defence and Space, said, “The OmanSat-1 satellite uses a flexible OneSat payload architecture that needs a ground system that is just as dynamic to support the reconfiguration of the satellite and the monitoring of the signals to enable troubleshooting and performance reporting. Building on our successful collaboration across multiple OneSat programs, Kratos will deliver the ground system that works in tandem with the OmanSat-1 satellite, enabling SCT to provide high-throughput services while providing extensive flexibility, serving Oman and the region and expanding to access East African and East Asian markets.”
Reinforcing the need for satellites and ground systems to escape legacy silos and work together in tandem, Luke Wyles, an analyst with Analysys Mason explained in a recent white paper that “in order to optimize the resource allocation on the Software-Defined Satellite (SDS), the network must be orchestrated, reconfiguring the space and ground segment in unison to meet changing demands.”
Bruno Dupas, Vice President of Kratos Space, said, “Kratos is integrating the ground system with Airbus’ mission and control platform to manage and monitor the satellite payload while intelligently orchestrating ground resources. This will enable SCT to dynamically plan spectrum, seamlessly coordinate payload configurations with ground assets, and do so far faster and in a more automated fashion than ever before.”
Kratos will deliver the ground segment that will include the capability to configure and monitor the satellite, optimize and setup the payload using integrated Airbus components, monitor the performance of the entire system from the satellite to the ground and orchestrate part of the operations. The implementation will include Ka-Band telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) antennas, monitor and control and carrier monitoring software, command, control and flight dynamics capabilities and the orchestration system. Leveraging its office in Oman, Kratos will also perform site surveys, install and commission equipment, deliver training and provide support for the delivery.
Kratos has a proven track record of delivering state-of-the-art ground solutions and is at the forefront of developing new capabilities to support today’s software-defined satellites. This includes the recent successful completion of the first factory acceptance test of Kratos’ Epoch command and control (C2) system with Airbus’ OneSat software-defined satellite. Kratos also brings a breadth of experience across the ground segment in areas such as satellite C2; TT&C; payload operations; network management and spectrum monitoring to deliver integrated satellite and ground system solutions.
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 Burghoff
claire.burghoff@kratosdefense.com
Investor Information:
877-934-4687
investor@kratosdefense.com
FAQ
What did Kratos announce about the OmanSat-1 contract (KTOS) on February 17, 2026?
How will the Kratos ground system support OmanSat-1 and SCT (KTOS)?
What specific technologies will Kratos deliver for OmanSat-1 (KTOS)?
Will Kratos provide local installation and training for the OmanSat-1 contract (KTOS)?
Does the announcement disclose the contract value and timing for KTOS revenue recognition?
What strategic benefit does the Kratos ground system bring to SCT and OmanSat-1 (KTOS)?
