Ondas Announces New Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Contract Award to Advance Long Range Grasshopper(TM) Autonomous Aerial Delivery System
Rhea-AI Summary
Ondas (NASDAQ:ONDS) announced that the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded a contract valued at more than $6 million to DZYNE Technologies, now part of Ondas, to advance the Long‑Range Grasshopper™ autonomous, runway‑independent precision aerial delivery system for extended‑range logistics in contested and austere environments.
According to Ondas, the work is now executed within its Ondas Sentinel defense division and builds on a 2024‑2025 AFRL flight test campaign that validated autonomous deployment, jet‑engine air‑start, extended‑range navigation, and precision payload delivery. The contract, which leverages the existing Grasshopper glider architecture capable of delivering up to 500 pounds of payload, funds further development in extended‑range flight, modular payload integration, GPS‑limited autonomous navigation, and enhanced manufacturability to enable scalable fielding of jet‑powered variants and expand Ondas' U.S. defense pipeline.
Positive
- AFRL contract over $6 million to advance Long‑Range Grasshopper autonomous delivery system
- Contract work shifted into Ondas Sentinel, consolidating U.S. defense activities post‑DZYNE acquisition
- Builds on validated 2024‑2025 flight tests for autonomous deployment and precision payload delivery
- Extends Grasshopper architecture already used to deliver up to 500 pounds into contested environments
- Strengthens U.S. defense pipeline with added autonomous logistics capability within Ondas' portfolio
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24 | Strategic investment | Positive | -1.6% | Co-led investment supported SmartFlak development and U.S. defense manufacturing expansion. |
| Jul 22 | Defense orders | Positive | +4.4% | Company reported $70 million in new orders across autonomous defense and security platforms. |
| Jul 20 | Defense order | Positive | +5.3% | Australian Department of Defence awarded a $6.9 million counter-UAS order. |
| Jul 06 | Acquisition agreement | Positive | +5.5% | DZYNE acquisition created Ondas Sentinel and raised 2026 revenue guidance. |
| Jun 23 | Technology collaboration | Positive | -4.0% | Sentrycs technology was selected for Lockheed Martin's Sanctum counter-UAS platform. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Ondas historically aligned with positive reactions to acquisition and order announcements but diverged after the July 24 investment and June 23 collaboration news.
Key Terms
counter-uas technical
gps-denied environments technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Award accelerates development of the Long‑Range Grasshopper™ autonomous aerial delivery system, now integrated within Ondas Sentinel following Ondas' recent acquisition of DZYNE
Valued at more than
WEST PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire / August 6, 2026 / Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) ("Ondas" or the "Company"), a leading provider of advanced autonomous systems and next-generation defense and security technologies and services, announced today that the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded a more than
Ondas recently acquired DZYNE Technologies, establishing Ondas as a vanguard autonomous defense platform uniting complementary capabilities across multi‑domain ISR, counter‑UAS, autonomous effects, aerial security, precision strike, autonomous logistics, and AI‑enabled mission orchestration. Following the acquisition, all contract work is now performed within Ondas Sentinel, the Company's dedicated U.S. defense division.
This award builds on years of collaboration between AFRL and the engineering teams now operating within Ondas Sentinel. Their 2024-2025 flight test campaign validated the Long‑Range Grasshopper's autonomous deployment, jet‑engine air‑start, extended‑range navigation, and precision payload delivery. Under Ondas Sentinel, the new contract accelerates development of scalable autonomous logistics capabilities aligned with the U.S. Air Force's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concepts.
"This award is another important validation of Ondas' strategy to build a leading autonomous defense platform around technologies that solve urgent national security challenges," said Eric Brock, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ondas. "By bringing DZYNE's proven engineering talent and advanced autonomous logistics capabilities into Ondas Sentinel, we are expanding the depth and scale of our defense portfolio while creating new opportunities to support U.S. and allied customers."
The award also reflects the broader strategic value of Ondas' recent acquisition of DZYNE, extending the Company's autonomous defense portfolio into mission-critical logistics capabilities.
"Long‑range, low‑cost autonomous delivery is a mission imperative for the future fight," said Ryan Hartman, Chief Executive Officer of Ondas Sentinel. "AFRL's continued partnership underscores the Long‑Range Grasshopper's transformative potential. With this technology and team now fully integrated into Ondas Sentinel, we are advancing a capability that directly strengthens resilient, distributed sustainment for contested operations."
The contract supports continued development across Long‑Range Grasshopper units and Grasshopper glider units. The effort builds on the mature Grasshopper glider architecture, which has seen extensive operational use delivering up to 500 pounds of critical payload with precision into contested or infrastructure‑limited environments. Leveraging this proven foundation enables rapid development cycles, reliable performance, and a clear path to scalable fielding for the jet‑powered Long‑Range Grasshopper variant. Development under the award will focus on:
Extended‑range flight and endurance
Modular payload integration
Autonomous navigation in GPS‑limited and GPS‑denied environments
Enhanced reliability and manufacturability for large‑scale fielding
These capabilities strengthen precision autonomous delivery from a wide range of platforms with minimal infrastructure, enabling rapid resupply while allowing crewed aircraft to remain outside threat envelopes.
AFRL's investment reflects the growing need for small, low-cost, long-range unmanned systems that can sustain distributed forces under threat. Ondas Sentinel's commercial manufacturing approach is designed to deliver high-performance systems at dramatically lower cost, supporting the Air Force's demand for scalable, attritable logistics solutions at speed.
The Long‑Range Grasshopper™ is part of Ondas' expanding autonomous defense portfolio, which includes long‑endurance ISR platforms (LEAP and ULTRA) and a suite of counter‑UAS systems.
About Ondas Inc.
Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) is a leading provider of autonomous systems, robotics, and mission-critical technologies for defense, homeland security, public safety, critical infrastructure, and industrial markets. The Company develops and deploys integrated unmanned and autonomous platforms across air, ground, and stratospheric environments, designed to support intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, security, and operational missions in complex environments. Ondas' solutions are deployed globally by government, defense, and commercial customers to protect infrastructure, borders, transportation networks, personnel, and strategic assets.
For additional information on Ondas Inc., visit www.ondas.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements made in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution readers that forward-looking statements are predictions based on our current expectations about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Our actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" discussed under the caption "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or any updates discussed under the caption "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Part II of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date, except as required by law.
Contacts
IR Contact for Ondas Inc.
888-657-2377
ir@ondas.com
Media Contact for Ondas Inc.
Escalate PR
ondas@escalatepr.com
Preston Grimes
Marketing Manager, Ondas Inc
preston.grimes@ondas.com
Jill Vacek
Director of Communications, Ondas Sentinel
jvacek@worldview.space
SOURCE: Ondas Inc.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire