Kratos Awarded $49 Million NSWC PHD Contract for Oriole™ Rocket Motor and Thrust Vector Control Systems to Support Navy Missile and Test Programs
SAN DIEGO, March 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS), a technology, products, system and software company in defense, national security, and global markets, announced today that it has been selected by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) for production and delivery of up to 36 Oriole™ solid rocket motors and three Thrust Vector Control (TVC) nozzle kits. The contract includes a funded base award for Oriole with options that, if fully exercised, bring the total contract value for solid rockets to $39,077,237. An option for 3 Oriole TVC production kits, valued at $10,136,009, is also included in the award.
The Oriole rocket system is an affordable, mission-relevant flight test solution, supporting the Navy's critical suborbital target and experimental hypersonic test requirements with rapid delivery and fielding. Kratos' proven capability and flawless track record delivering Oriole rocket systems and vehicle hardware components enables customers to maintain robust test and evaluation schedules in support of emerging national security requirements.
"Kratos continues to provide the Department of War with proven, affordable, and rapid turn-key launch vehicle solutions," said Dave Carter, President of Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services. "Our Oriole rocket motor and TVC kit systems deliver critical capability to our Navy and DoW customers, supporting operational needs and test objectives on accelerated timelines."
This award continues Kratos' long-standing partnership with NSWC PHD in support of ballistic missile defense, hypersonic research, and other test programs. With repeated program successes and regular technology refreshes, Kratos continues to reinforce its industry leading position in the design, production, and sustainment of mission-critical solutions for national security applications.
"Kratos is honored to support our Navy and defense customers with real, existing, mission-relevant products and systems, rapidly fielded to address today's most pressing challenges," said Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. "Our approach—making internal investments to deliver affordable, first-to-market national security hardware—remains central to our growth and our commitment to our customers' evolving needs."
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, hypersonic 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 28, 2025, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.
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Claire Cantrell
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Source: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.
