Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has been awarded a sole-source Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract worth up to approximately $156 million by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Secure Transportation (NNSA OST). The single-award deal, disclosed on July 21, 2026, funds Project Solar Shield, a mobile Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) capability designed to protect the movement of nuclear weapons, components and other special nuclear material across the continental United States.
Project Solar Shield
Under the contract, Kratos will deliver mobile C-UAS platforms able to detect, track, identify and respond to drone threats in real time. The systems are engineered to travel with OST convoys and support operations at any location within CONUS, extending detection and defeat capabilities that were previously fixed-site to a highly mobile mission profile.
Why NNSA Is Buying Now
The award adds to a broader U.S. counter-drone build-out that saw the Pentagon sign a first-ever drone cooperation deal with Ukraine earlier this month and follows AeroVironment's $500 million Army counter-UAS award in early July. Off-the-shelf commercial drones are increasingly viewed by DOE and DoD planners as a top asymmetric threat to critical convoys, high-value sites and forward bases.
Kratos' Growing Defense Backlog
Solar Shield further diversifies Kratos beyond its Valkyrie unmanned combat aerial vehicle and satellite communications lines. The company's shares climbed on the announcement, joining a wave of defense-tech contract wins that also included renewed investor focus on robotics and physical AI as national-security buyers accelerate procurement.
The IDIQ structure gives NNSA flexibility to place task orders over the life of the contract as Solar Shield capabilities are qualified, fielded and iterated on emerging drone threats.
Reporting based on coverage from Kratos Defense, GlobeNewswire, GovCon Wire, ClearanceJobs and UAS Vision.