Ondas acquires three Israeli companies for $56 million as it builds autonomous defense stack
Insignito, Ottopia Defense and Caribou Labs give the rapidly expanding defense group new capabilities in sensing, communications and navigation.
U.S.-listed defense technology company Ondas is continuing its aggressive acquisition spree in Israel, acquiring three defense technology businesses for a total of $56 million as it seeks to assemble a broader technology stack for autonomous warfare.
The acquisitions of Insignito, Ottopia Defense and Caribou Labs add capabilities spanning passive acoustic drone detection, resilient communications and remote control for unmanned systems, and navigation and communications in environments where GPS and other satellite-based systems are disrupted.
The deals include additional contingent consideration of up to $32 million, payable if the businesses meet performance targets through 2028. The initial $56 million consideration will be paid in cash or Ondas stock. Based on Ondas's forecasts, the initial purchase price represents less than three times the three companies' expected combined revenue in 2027, implying projected revenue of nearly $19 million that year.
The acquisitions will also bring 37 employees into Ondas. The company has allocated restricted stock units representing 2,979,063 shares and options to purchase an additional 80,000 shares to the new employees. The options have an exercise price of $7.72 per share.
Taken together, the three acquisitions illustrate the kind of defense technology stack Ondas is attempting to build. Insignito adds another layer to the detection of unmanned aircraft, Ottopia provides the communications and human control needed to operate unmanned systems remotely, while Caribou addresses navigation, positioning and communications when conventional satellite signals are unavailable.
Ondas describes the strategy as a “System of Systems” approach, in which platforms, sensors, communications, software and command-and-control capabilities are integrated across a broader autonomous defense architecture.
The company says the three technologies range from systems already deployed in active conflict environments to capabilities that can be integrated into its existing platforms in the near term.
Insignito, founded in 2022 by entrepreneurs with Air Force backgrounds, specializes in passive acoustic intelligence for counter-drone systems.
Its flagship DUMBO system has been deployed in conflict zones and detects, classifies, tracks and localizes unmanned aircraft without transmitting radio or electromagnetic signals. Instead, it listens to the surrounding environment and uses real-time signal processing, acoustic models, artificial intelligence and proprietary algorithms to identify the characteristic signatures of aircraft.
The technology is designed to complement rather than replace other sensors, including radar, radio-frequency and electro-optical systems. This gives counter-drone operators another means of detecting aircraft, particularly small FPV drones, low-altitude threats and RF-silent platforms that can be difficult to identify using conventional methods.
The problem is becoming more significant as drones are increasingly used on battlefields and operators encounter systems designed to avoid traditional detection methods, including fiber-optic-controlled drones.
Insignito has also developed several additional technologies around acoustic signatures. WaveGuide is software for mission planning that models the acoustic detectability of aircraft along planned flight paths. Silent Propellers uses acoustic engineering to reduce the noise signature of unmanned aircraft, while Banshee is an acoustic-enabled drone interception system that remains under development.
The combination gives Ondas capabilities across several stages of the drone-defense process, from detection and tracking to mission planning, signature reduction and, eventually, interception.
Ottopia Defense addresses a different problem: maintaining the connection between an unmanned vehicle and its human operators when battlefield communications become unreliable.
The company develops software and communications infrastructure for transmitting video, telemetry, mission data and commands between unmanned maneuvering platforms, remote operators and command centers.
Its system is designed for remote and bandwidth-constrained environments in which communications can be degraded or disrupted. It dynamically manages operational data across available communications channels, with the aim of preserving the flow of information between the vehicle and its operator.
Ottopia combines AI-enabled autonomy with ultra-low-latency teleoperation and remote control. This allows operators to supervise multiple unmanned systems, monitor live video and telemetry, and intervene when human judgment or direct control is required.
Its one-to-many architecture is intended to allow a smaller number of operators to manage multiple vehicles from centralized mission centers or distributed command environments.
Ondas plans to integrate the technology into its unmanned ground systems, including Iron Wave, one of the company's autonomous ground platforms. The acquisition therefore adds the communications and human-control layer to a broader portfolio of autonomous vehicles.
Caribou Labs operates in deep tech, specializing in radio-frequency engineering, sensing, communications, positioning and timing for electronic-warfare environments.
Its technology is designed to provide positioning and timing without relying on GPS and to maintain resilient communications when digital infrastructure or satellite-based navigation is disrupted.
That capability has become increasingly relevant as electronic jamming becomes a routine feature of modern battlefields. For autonomous systems, losing GNSS signals is not simply a communications problem: it can interfere with a vehicle's ability to determine where it is and how to navigate.
Caribou's technology is currently deployed in active conflict environments, according to Ondas, and the company says it has a pipeline of potential customers globally.
Ondas intends to use Caribou's capabilities across its aerial, ground and command platforms, adding another component to what it describes as an end-to-end autonomy and resilience stack spanning connectivity, navigation, identification and mission execution.
The purchases are the latest in an acquisition campaign that has rapidly changed the scale and composition of Ondas.
The company has assembled a portfolio of more than 15 businesses over the past two years, with acquisitions spanning drones, robotics, counter-drone systems, intelligence, communications and other defense technologies.
The acquisition drive has accelerated in recent months. In August, Ondas agreed to acquire Aran Defense for $33 million, adding development and manufacturing capabilities to the group.
Earlier this month, it agreed to acquire Israeli Gate Technologies and its Polish manufacturing partner, Bron Technologies, for approximately $205 million, expanding into electronic fuzing systems used in missiles, rockets, UAVs and loitering munitions.
Ondas has also acquired U.S. defense technology company DZYNE Technologies in a transaction valued at approximately $876 million, its largest acquisition to date. The deal followed purchases including Israeli mission-management software company Omnisys and Scotland-based Cyberhawk.
The company has been financing the expansion alongside a rapid increase in revenue. Ondas generated $83.8 million in revenue in the second quarter, compared with $6.3 million a year earlier, and raised its 2026 revenue forecast to between $525 million and $550 million. At the same time, its acquisition and hiring spree pushed operating expenses sharply higher.
Ondas also raised approximately $1 billion from an undisclosed investor toward the end of last year. The identity of the investor remains undisclosed.
The company has simultaneously been building a senior Israeli defense leadership team. Former Mossad director David Barnea joined Ondas in August as Global President and Chairman of Ondas Defense. Former Rafael CEO Yoav Har-Even and other senior figures from Israel's defense establishment and defense industries have also joined the group.
Ondas Israel is led by Oshri Lugassy, a former IDF chief combat engineering officer and former Rafael vice president.
The company is also pursuing further expansion. Last week, CTech reported that Ondas was in advanced negotiations to acquire Nirosta Zafon, a 250-employee Israeli defense manufacturer, in a deal expected to be valued at approximately $250 million. Nirosta supplies major Israeli defense companies including Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael. No agreement has yet been finalized.
