Ondas Holdings (ONDS) Lands $8.2M Airport Drone Defense Deal and Closes $225M Sentrycs Acquisition on November 17, 2025

Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS), a provider of autonomous drone systems and private wireless networks, packed several major announcements into Monday, November 17, 2025 – including a new multimillion‑dollar European airport contract, the closing of a $225 million acquisition, and fresh bullish analyst signals. ^[1]

Together, the developments underscore how aggressively Ondas is positioning itself at the center of the global counter‑drone and autonomous defense market.

Key takeaways for November 17, 2025

New $8.2M airport contract: Ondas won an approximate $8.2 million order from a major European security agency to deploy multiple Iron Drone Raider™ counter‑UAS systems at one of Europe’s largest international airports. ^[2]
$225M Sentrycs acquisition closes: The company completed its previously announced acquisition of Israel‑based Sentry CS Ltd (Sentrycs), a global leader in Cyber‑over‑RF counter‑UAS technology, for total consideration of $225 million in cash and stock. ^[3]
Strategic AI & drone investment: Safe Pro Group disclosed over $20 million in new strategic funding, including a $14 million equity investment at $7 per share led by Ondas, deepening its ecosystem in AI‑driven defense and drone services. ^[4]
Analysts raise expectations: The average 12‑month price target for ONDS was lifted about 14% to $11.07 per share, implying more than 50% upside from a recent close of $7.18, while Oppenheimer separately upgraded the stock to “outperform” with a $12 target. ^[5]
Q3 momentum and explosive returns: Record Q3 2025 revenue of $10.1 million (more than 6× year‑over‑year) and a sharply higher revenue outlook for 2025–2026 have driven a share‑price gain of about 23% over the past week and roughly 900% over the past year, according to independent equity research. ^[6]

As of the latest intraday data on November 17, 2025, ONDS was trading around $7.00 per share, down roughly 2.5% on the day after a sharp run‑up in recent sessions. The stock has been volatile, with today’s trading range spanning just under $7 to nearly $8 per share and volume far above long‑term averages, reflecting intense investor focus on the new contract and M&A developments. (Price data intraday and subject to change.)

1. Ondas wins $8.2M counter‑drone contract at major European airport

The headline announcement of the day came before the U.S. market open, when Ondas reported that it had secured an approximate $8.2 million purchase order from a major European security agency. The contract covers deployment of multiple Iron Drone Raider™ counter‑UAS systems to protect one of Europe’s largest international airports. ^[7]

Key details from the company’s press release and related SEC filing include:

Customer & scope: The buyer is described as a “major European security agency” responsible for protecting a large international airport, though the specific site is not disclosed for security reasons. ^[8]
Prime contractor: Ondas’ Airobotics subsidiary – part of the Ondas Autonomous Systems (OAS) business unit – will act as prime contractor, overseeing system integration, installation, and operational readiness of the Iron Drone Raider systems across the airport perimeter. ^[9]
Mission: The deployment is designed to provide 24/7 autonomous protection of critical airspace, detecting and intercepting unauthorized drones that could threaten flight safety or airport operations. ^[10]

Recent high‑profile incidents in Europe, where drone intrusions have temporarily shut down airports and disrupted flights, were cited in the release as a core driver of demand for reliable counter‑drone capabilities. ^[11]

What is Iron Drone Raider?

The Iron Drone Raider is Ondas’ flagship autonomous counter‑UAS system. It uses an AI‑enabled workflow to:

Detect and track hostile drones,
Launch an interceptor drone, and
Capture the target using a reusable net payload – neutralizing the threat without explosive munitions or collateral signal interference. ^[12]

This type of “kinetic but controlled” interception is particularly attractive for crowded civilian environments like airports, where stray ammunition or GPS jamming could be unacceptable.

The new airport order adds to a growing portfolio of defense and homeland security contracts for Ondas and is expected to contribute to future revenue as systems are delivered and accepted over the coming quarters. ^[13]

2. $225M Sentrycs (Sentry CS Ltd) acquisition officially closes

Also today, Ondas filed a Form 8‑K confirming that it has completed the acquisition of Sentry CS Ltd (Sentrycs), an Israel‑based counter‑UAS specialist, under the share purchase agreement originally announced on November 4, 2025. ^[14]

Deal terms (from today’s SEC filing)

Total purchase price:$225 million, consisting of:
- $125 million in cash, and
- Up to $100 million in Ondas common stock. ^[15]
Cash paid at closing: $117.5 million in cash was paid today, November 17; the remaining $7.5 million will be paid in three equal installments of $2.5 million after 45, 60 and 120 days from closing. ^[16]
Equity issued at closing: Approximately 4.1 million ONDS shares valued at about $29.4 million were issued at closing. Additional shares (or cash equivalent) of up to $22.5 million may be issued on each of the three post‑closing dates, at Ondas’ discretion. ^[17]
Selling‑shareholder restrictions: Sentrycs sellers face daily trading limits, restricting them from selling more than 10% of Ondas’ average daily trading volume in any single day, helping to reduce potential overhang on the stock. ^[18]

Strategic rationale: A full‑spectrum counter‑UAS stack

In its November 4 acquisition announcement, Ondas highlighted Sentrycs as a global leader in Cyber‑over‑RF (CoRF) counter‑drone technology, deployed across more than 25 countries. ^[19]

Sentrycs’ CoRF platform operates at the communication‑protocol layer, enabling operators to detect, identify, track and take control of hostile drones within seconds – often landing them safely without jamming or spoofing GPS. ^[20]
Integrating Sentrycs with Iron Drone Raider gives Ondas a dual‑layer solution:
- A “soft‑kill” cyber takeover capability from Sentrycs, and
- A “hard‑kill” or physical intercept capability from Iron Drone. ^[21]

Ondas has described this as the foundation for one of the industry’s first truly full‑spectrum detect‑to‑defeat counter‑UAS architectures, spanning detection, decision and engagement layers in both military and civilian environments. ^[22]

From an investor perspective, the closed acquisition turns what was previously a pipeline story into an integration story: over the next several quarters, the market will be watching how quickly Ondas can combine Sentrycs’ software with its hardware platforms and convert the combined capabilities into larger, multi‑year contracts.

3. Ondas leads $14M equity round in Safe Pro Group’s $20M+ funding push

In a separate development that still ties into Ondas’ broader ecosystem play, Safe Pro Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAI) announced more than $20 million in new strategic investments to accelerate growth in AI‑powered drone services and ballistic protection – with Ondas leading the round. ^[23]

According to Safe Pro’s Business Wire release:

Ondas led a $14 million equity investment at $7 per share, reinforcing its role as a strategic partner rather than a passive financial investor. ^[24]
The new capital will fuel:
- Development of the SPOTD NODE (Safe Pro Object Threat Detection) platform,
- Deployment of AI‑powered SpotlightAI™ threat‑detection software, including an “InFlight” embedded version on combat drones, and
- Expansion of autonomous drone services and lightweight ballistic armor for defense, law enforcement and humanitarian customers. ^[25]

Safe Pro and its subsidiaries are developing AI systems that analyze drone imagery for explosive threats, plus operational drone services (e.g., remote utility inspections and drone‑as‑first‑responder programs). Those capabilities dovetail with Ondas’ focus on autonomous systems and may create cross‑selling or technology‑sharing opportunities over time. ^[26]

4. Record Q3 2025 results and upgraded outlook continue to drive the story

Today’s news doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. It builds on a record third quarter that Ondas reported just four days ago, on November 13, 2025. ^[27]

Highlights from the Q3 2025 press release:

Q3 revenue: $10.1 million – more than 6× year‑over‑year and up 60% sequentially, driven largely by the Ondas Autonomous Systems (OAS) business, including Iron Drone and Optimus deployments. ^[28]
Balance sheet strength: A pro‑forma cash balance of about $840.4 million and shareholders’ equity of roughly $487.2 million, giving Ondas one of the stronger balance sheets among emerging defense‑tech names. ^[29]
Guidance increase:
- 2025 revenue target raised from at least $25 million to at least $36 million, and
- A preliminary 2026 revenue target of at least $110 million, supported by a reported backlog of $23.3 million at the end of Q3. ^[30]

Independent coverage from outlets such as CoinCentral, Insider Monkey and Ad‑hoc‑News has framed the quarter as a “blowout” performance, noting that ONDS shares climbed more than 23% over the past week as institutions and retail investors reacted to the stronger outlook and fresh analyst upgrades. ^[31]

5. Analyst sentiment and valuation: optimism with volatility

The flurry of contracts and M&A activity has been accompanied by a visible shift in analyst sentiment:

Average 12‑month price target: Nasdaq, summarizing Fintel data, reports that the average one‑year price target for ONDS has been raised to $11.07, up 14.29% from $9.69 as of November 7. That target range currently spans roughly $9.09 to $13.65 per share and implies over 50% upside versus a recent close of $7.18. ^[32]
Oppenheimer upgrade: Oppenheimer recently upgraded ONDS from “perform” to “outperform”, setting a $12 price target – about 67% above the same $7.18 reference price, according to multiple media reports. ^[33]

Meanwhile, research platform Simply Wall St notes that:

ONDS shares gained about 9.5% in a single day following earnings,
They are up roughly 23.6% over the last week, and
The one‑year total return sits around 907%, highlighting how dramatically sentiment has shifted over the past 12 months. ^[34]

That type of meteoric performance naturally raises questions about valuation and sustainability. Simply Wall St frames the “most popular narrative” around Ondas as still seeing the stock as undervalued relative to long‑term growth expectations, but also warns that a sharp rally and multiple analyst upgrades may already bake in a lot of optimism. ^[35]

For investors, the main tension is between:

Growth drivers: A deepening order pipeline, major reference deployments (like today’s European airport contract), and an expanding portfolio of advanced counter‑drone assets; and
Risks: Execution on large, complex deployments; integration of Sentrycs; reliance on government and defense budgets; and the volatility that comes with a stock whose market cap and share price have moved so quickly.

6. What today’s news means for Ondas’ 2026 roadmap

Put together, November 17, 2025 marks a pivotal moment in Ondas’ strategy:

The $8.2M airport order gives the Iron Drone Raider platform a marquee European reference customer in a highly sensitive civilian environment, strengthening its credibility for future airport, border and critical‑infrastructure bids. ^[36]
The Sentrycs acquisition closing transforms Ondas into a full‑spectrum counter‑UAS vendor, combining cyber “soft‑kill” and kinetic interception under one roof – a key differentiator as drone threats become more sophisticated. ^[37]
The Safe Pro investment broadens Ondas’ network into adjacent AI, imagery‑analysis and ballistic‑protection domains, potentially seeding future partnerships or bundled offerings to defense and security customers. ^[38]
Record Q3 results and raised guidance suggest management is confident that its enlarged portfolio and capital base can be converted into sustained revenue growth through at least 2026. ^[39]

The next big milestones to watch:

Integration updates around Sentrycs’ technology stack and how quickly it appears in new contract wins or product launches. ^[40]
Additional disclosures on the timing of revenue recognition from the European airport order and other large backlog items. ^[41]
Any new government, NATO or airport‑operator deals that combine Iron Drone, Sentrycs and partner technologies like Safe Pro’s AI platforms. ^[42]

Final note

This article is for information and news purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Investors should consider their own financial situation, risk tolerance and do independent research or consult a licensed financial professional before making investment decisions.

Ondas Autonomous Systems: Optimus System and Iron Drone Raider System