Ondas Plans Significant U.S. Manufacturing Expansion to Scale Low-Cost ULTRA ISR Aircraft Production, Targeting 10 Aircraft per Month by 2028
The proposed all-cash Stemme acquisition would bring ULTRA's airframe manufacturer into Ondas and reduce reliance on an external supplier.
Sentiment and the balance of points
Rhea-AI Sentiment reads the wording of the document, how positive or negative its language is on a 1 to 5 scale. The balance of points shown with the takes weighs what the document actually discloses, so the two can disagree, for example when a trial that missed its main goal is described in upbeat language.
Rhea-AI Summary
Ondas (ONDS) plans to expand ULTRA aircraft production, targeting 10 aircraft per month by 2028, including manufacturing in the United States. It has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Stemme, ULTRA's airframe manufacturer, in an all-cash transaction.
Ondas plans 345,000 square feet of U.S. production space and increased use of Stemme's German facilities. Those facilities span approximately 135,571 square feet and currently operate at approximately 25% of production capacity. The company expects the acquisition to reduce external supplier reliance and improve coordination between engineering and production.
ULTRA, an uncrewed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, is operationally deployed by the U.S. Air Force. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
How this balance works
Rhea-AI gives every point it takes from this document a weight. Minor counts 1, Moderate 3 and Major 9, so one Major point outweighs several Minor ones. The bar adds up the weights on each side, and when neither side holds more than 65% of the total the balance reads Mixed.
It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.
Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.
Hollow bars mark forward-looking points. How the balance works
Positive
- Moderate point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.ULTRA production expansion targets 10 aircraft per month by 2028.
- Moderate point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Stemme would bring ULTRA's airframe manufacturing into Ondas.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.345,000 square feet of planned U.S. production space would add domestic airframe manufacturing capacity.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.German facilities operate at approximately 25% capacity; Ondas plans to increase utilization.
- Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Stemme acquisition would reduce external supplier reliance and improve engineering-production coordination.
Negative
- Minor pointRegulatory approvals remain pending for the Stemme acquisition, expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.
Key Figures
- Production target
- 10 aircraft per month
- ULTRA production target by 2028
- Acquisition scope and consideration
- 100%; all-cash transaction
- Proposed acquisition of Stemme under a definitive agreement
- Current production capacity utilization
- Approximately 25%
- Stemme facilities
- Existing facility space
- Approximately 135,571 square feet
- Stemme design, production and maintenance facilities
- Planned U.S. production space
- 345,000 square feet
- Planned airframe production capacity
- Expected transaction closing
- First quarter of 2027
- Subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals
- Flight endurance
- More than 70 hours
- ULTRA aircraft capability
- Payload capacity
- Over 400 pounds
- ULTRA aircraft capability
Key Terms
isr technical
faa part 145 regulatory
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire / November 5, 2026 / Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) ("Ondas" or the "Company"), a leading provider of advanced autonomous systems and next-generation defense and security technologies, announced today plans to expand production of ULTRA, its long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, including in the United States, targeting 10 aircraft per month by 2028. To support this expansion, Ondas has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire
Ondas' long-endurance ISR platform ULTRA is operationally deployed by the U.S. Air Force and is capable of more than 70 hours of flight time with over 400 pounds of payload capacity. Built on Stemme's type-certified S12 composite airframe, the military-hardened, uncrewed platform uses its commercial aviation foundation to provide a lower-cost option for persistent ISR. Its endurance supports extended time on station and limits the frequency of aircraft rotations, while its modular payload architecture supports electro-optical and infrared sensing, radio-frequency collection and communications relay. These capabilities also support dual-use opportunities in border and maritime surveillance, disaster response, environmental monitoring and commercial infrastructure inspection, where sustained coverage across wide areas at a manageable operating cost is an operational requirement.
Demand for persistent ISR continues to outpace available capacity as combatant commands seek wider-area coverage, increased time on station and greater resilience in contested and distributed operating environments. In response, the U.S. Department of War is advancing a mixed-fleet approach that combines high-end crewed assets with autonomous and uncrewed platforms, networked sensors and lower-cost, attritable aircraft that can be fielded at scale. These initiatives prioritize affordable mass, modularity and rapid production, reinforcing the need for systems such as ULTRA that can augment scarce high-value platforms, expand operational coverage and deliver persistent ISR without the cost and risk associated with traditional aircraft.
Ondas has developed a plan to significantly expand ULTRA production capacity to meet urgent global demand for ISR capabilities. The proposed acquisition of Stemme is central to this strategy and would support the onshoring and localization of airframe production in the United States. Stemme, the certified German manufacturer of ULTRA's S12 airframe, currently operates at approximately
"Our objective is to align aircraft production with the scale of customer requirements," said Eric Brock, Chairman and CEO of Ondas. "Acquiring Stemme would give us greater control over airframe capacity, cost and schedule as we work toward 10 ULTRA aircraft per month by 2028 and bring significant production capacity to the United States. This plan connects an operational, lower-cost ISR aircraft with an existing manufacturing base that has capacity to support increased production."
"ULTRA was designed to deliver persistent ISR at long range, at a fraction of the cost of traditional platforms," said Ryan Hartman, President and CEO of Ondas Sentinel. "Our focus now is building more aircraft, faster. Bringing Stemme into Ondas Sentinel would put the airframe, the engineering and the production line under one roof, so we can respond faster to customer requirements, meet demand as ULTRA scales and iterate the design of ULTRA for future U.S. Air Force requirements."
Koenraad Geurts and Benjamin de Broqueville, Co-CEOs of Stemme, shared their enthusiasm for the strategic milestone: "We are incredibly excited about our future with Ondas and look forward to what we will achieve together as we enter this next chapter of growth and innovation within the Ondas Sentinel group."
Stemme holds EASA, LBA and FAA airworthiness approvals and operates an FAA Part 145 repair station, complementing its airframe manufacturing, engineering and maintenance capabilities. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
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, including autonomous drone systems, counter-UAS technologies, robotic ground systems, advanced unmanned aircraft and propulsion solutions, demining and engineering systems, and integrated sensing and communications technologies 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.
About Stemme GmbH
Stemme GmbH is a vertically integrated German aircraft original equipment manufacturer specializing in high-performance motor gliders, special-mission aerospace platforms and UAV-enabling aerostructures. With operations in Strausberg and Pasewalk, Germany, Stemme holds airworthiness approvals from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and operates an FAA Part 145 repair station. Its flagship S12 platform serves both private aviation and defense customers, including as the core airframe for the ULTRA long-endurance ISR system. Stemme also operates a growing aftermarket, refurbishment and maintenance services business. For more information, visit www.stemme.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
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