Redwire (RDW) Stock Jumps 13% After Landing NATO and U.S. Army Drone Deals

TLDR

• Redwire stock is up over 13% and has hit new highs for three consecutive days
• The company secured a $15 million follow-on U.S. Army contract for Stalker surveillance drones, bringing total orders to $24.8 million over eight months
• A separate multi-year, high eight-figure deal with an undisclosed NATO ally for Penguin Mk3 drones was also announced
• Redwire was named prime contractor on DARPA’s “Otter” spaceplane program, with Voyager Technologies (VOYG) brought on as a subcontractor
• Analysts project $887.3 million in revenue by 2028, but some models put fair value at $13.28 — around 24% below the current price

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Redwire (RDW) stock has climbed more than 13% on Friday, capping a three-day run that has pushed the stock to successively higher highs. The aerospace and defense company is trading around $17.49 as of Friday morning.

Redwire Corporation, RDW

The gains come on the back of a flurry of contract wins across both its drone and space divisions.

The company landed a follow-on order worth $15 million from the U.S. Army’s 1st Aviation Brigade for a third batch of Stalker surveillance UAVs. Total Stalker orders now stand at $24.8 million over the past eight months.

That deal was followed by a separate multi-year contract with an undisclosed NATO ally for its Penguin Mk3 uncrewed aerial systems. The deal is described as “high eight-figures,” putting it in the tens of millions of dollars range.

Both contracts come through Redwire’s Edge Autonomy division, which the company acquired in 2025 for $925 million. At the time, the move raised eyebrows — Redwire had built its identity as a pure-play space company. That bet is now starting to look smart.

Redwire also holds a $498.1 million backlog, and these new awards add to what analysts see as the central story: whether growing defense programs can offset the volatility that comes with fixed-price space development contracts.

Redwire’s Space Business Gets a Boost Too

The drone deals weren’t the only news. Redwire was named prime contractor on DARPA’s “Otter” program — an effort to develop air-breathing spaceplanes capable of operating at very low Earth orbit (VLEO).

These spaceplanes are designed to partially refuel by “breathing” the thin air of Earth’s upper atmosphere — a genuinely novel concept in aerospace.

Redwire brought in Voyager Technologies (VOYG) as a subcontractor on the Otter program. Voyager will supply a high-precision Acceleration Measurement System to help the spaceplane maneuver in VLEO. Voyager stock rose nearly 12% on the news.

No additional contract value was disclosed for Otter, but the prime contractor designation keeps Redwire at the center of a cutting-edge DARPA program.

What Analysts Are Watching

Revenue projections for Redwire vary widely depending on who you ask. The bullish case calls for $887.3 million in revenue and $73.2 million in earnings by 2028 — implying roughly 50% annual revenue growth and a $322.7 million swing from today’s loss of $249.5 million.

More conservative analysts put 2029 revenue at around $736.7 million with $64.8 million in earnings.

One valuation model puts fair value at $13.28 per share — about 24% below where the stock is trading now.

The 52-week range for RDW sits between $4.87 and $22.25, and volume on Friday hit 55.4 million — more than double the average of 26 million.

The company’s market cap stands at $3.5 billion as of Friday.