AEVEX Corp. has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a ceiling of nearly $400 million to supply unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and associated support services to an unnamed U.S. customer, the company said on November 10, 2026. For scale, the Solana Beach, California, company reported funded backlog of $259.8 million at June 30, 2026; the new figure is a ceiling, and the announcement does not say how much has been ordered under the contract.

In a press release dated November 10, 2026, AEVEX said the multi-year award establishes a flexible contracting framework that lets the customer procure UAS and associated support services across a range of mission needs. The announcement came one day before the company’s scheduled third-quarter 2026 results.

What the IDIQ award covers

AEVEX said the contract validates growing demand for adaptable, scalable UAS capabilities and reinforces its role as a U.S.-based provider of mission-focused technology and engineering expertise. The company said it develops, produces and supports UAS designed for affordability, modularity and rapid fielding.

“This award deepens our role in helping customers field unmanned aircraft systems that can be manufactured at scale and adapted as mission needs evolve,” said Roger Wells, Chief Executive Officer at AEVEX.

Wells said in the release that the IDIQ positions AEVEX to support customers as they advance initiatives aimed at accelerating UAS capability development and more agile acquisition models.

The release leaves several questions open for operators and suppliers tracking the award. It does not identify the customer or the agency behind the award, give a period of performance beyond describing the award as multi-year, say whether other companies hold awards under the same vehicle, or disclose the value of any initial task order. It names no aircraft type and gives no quantities.

AEVEX’s position after its stock market listing

AEVEX describes itself as a U.S. defense technology company that delivers autonomous unmanned systems, AI-enabled mission software, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and electronic warfare solutions to national security customers. In its initial public offering announcement, the company listed headquarters in Solana Beach with additional facilities in California, Florida, Ohio, Virginia and Alabama, and offerings that include UAS, what it called combat-proven loitering munitions, and multi-mission unmanned surface vehicles.

AEVEX priced its offering on April 16, 2026, at 16,000,000 Class A common shares at $20.00 each, with trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker AVEX expected to begin on April 17, 2026, according to the company’s pricing announcement. The pricing followed the IPO plans AirPro News covered earlier in April. The company is a portfolio company of Madison Dearborn Partners’ funds, the announcement said.

In its second-quarter 2026 results, released on August 12, 2026, AEVEX reported revenue of $201.8 million, against $101.1 million a year earlier. Its Tactical Systems segment brought in $174.2 million, which the company said was driven by UAS products and support services; the results release cites $72.2 million from the EUCOM AOR Deep Strike program. Funded backlog fell to $259.8 million at June 30, 2026, from $503.1 million at December 31, 2025, which the company attributed mainly to revenue recognized on that program. AEVEX raised its full-year 2026 outlook to revenue of $700.0 million to $720.0 million.

A run of unmanned awards and what comes next

The new IDIQ follows a series of smaller awards that AEVEX has announced in 2026. Its second-quarter awards included an $18.5 million U.S. Air Force award for UAS delivery and engineering services and $50 million from the U.S. Air Force for advanced unmanned mission capabilities. In August 2026, the company announced a $41 million award to support U.S. government customers in delivering one-way attack systems, and on September 9, 2026, it announced $20.5 million in new awards to deliver and further develop one-way attack system capabilities for U.S. government customers.

On September 23, 2026, AEVEX announced its jet-powered Specter attack platform, a turbojet-powered one-way attack system still under development with advanced manufacturing company Divergent. The company said Specter will have ground-launched and air-launched variants and a modular, swappable nose section for kinetic, non-kinetic, electronic warfare and ISR payloads.

AEVEX said it will release third-quarter 2026 results after the close of U.S. financial markets on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and hold a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time that day. Wells and Chief Financial Officer Todd Booth are scheduled to present at the Baird Global Industrial Conference in Chicago on November 12, 2026. The IDIQ release does not say when the first orders under the contract are expected.

Electra Defense has received a $4.7 million innovative capabilities opening (ICO) contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to fund ground and flight testing of the hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems on its EL9 ultra-short takeoff and landing (Ultra-STOL) aircraft. The work includes extensive ground testing of the EL9 preproduction aircraft and acoustic flight tests of battery-only, low-signature ingress and egress for special operations missions.

Manassas, Virginia-based Electra Defense announced the award in a press release dated November 9, 2026. The company said the contract is meant to produce performance data that helps the U.S. Air Force assess Ultra-STOL aircraft, and that results will inform future Air Force technology and acquisition decisions.

What the Air Force is paying to test

According to Electra, the ICO covers the EL9 and its hybrid-electric propulsion systems. Technical evaluations will look at aircraft performance, propulsion system functionality and operational effectiveness, with activities that include verifying key power and propulsion technologies.

The program also includes modeling and simulation work. Electra said this will assess operations from more locations, rapid dispersal of personnel and time-sensitive cargo, and reduced reliance on traditional aviation infrastructure and ground support equipment. The release ties the work to expanded operational access, distributed logistics and the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine.

Donn Yates, vice president and general manager of Electra Defense, said: “Power and propulsion are fundamental to unlocking new capabilities for military aviation.” He said the contract will help quantify the advantages of hybrid-electric Ultra-STOL aircraft, and described the combination of hybrid-electric power, distributed propulsion and ultra-short takeoff and landing as a fundamentally discriminating approach to tactical mobility.

A longer Air Force relationship

Electra said the award extends a longstanding AFRL partnership. AFWERX, the Department of the Air Force’s innovation arm, said in a January 23, 2026 success story that Electra had received nine AFWERX contracts since December 2020. In 2023, AFWERX awarded the company a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) of up to $85 million to develop a full-scale pre-production prototype. AFWERX said that three-year contract combines $30 million in Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and other funds with $55 million in private investment.

According to AFWERX, Electra took part in AFRL’s Future Flag 25-3 exercise in September 2025 and completed government-directed tests, a milestone under the STRATFI contract. Electra introduced Electra Defense as a business unit for defense missions using the EL9 in December 2025, and the company has also won a U.S. Army SBIR contract for hybrid-electric powertrain, power and propulsion work.

The U.S. military is evaluating runway-independent aircraft for austere and contested environments, including the Indo-Pacific, AFWERX said, with hybrid-powered aircraft potentially supporting logistics, ship-to-shore transport and personnel recovery.

Where the EL9 program stands

The EL9 is a nine-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft that Electra says can take off and land in as little as 150 feet. AFWERX said the aircraft would carry 1,000 lbs. over 1,000 nautical miles and generate 600 kW of expeditionary power. Electra’s design uses a turbogenerator to supply continuous power to distributed electric propulsors along the wing, which accelerate airflow to increase lift at low speed, an architecture covered by its three US patents in February.

In that February 11, 2026 release, Electra said its two-seat EL2 technology demonstrator had completed flight testing with the company’s proprietary propulsion system, that first EL9 test flights are planned for 2027, and that certification and commercial service entry are anticipated in late 2029 into 2030 under FAA Part 23. Electra has also carried out a demonstration at the Downtown Skyport heliport in Lower Manhattan, which the company said is believed to be the first landing there by a fixed-wing aircraft without vertical takeoff capability.

On the production side, Electra has selected Springfield, Ohio, for its first EL9 production facility. The company said in a November 5, 2026 release that the planned Springfield plant is an $850 million development expected to support production of up to 800 aircraft per year.

Electra says it has more than 2,200 letters of intent from more than 60 commercial customers, and lists the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and NASA among its contracted customers. Its strategic investors include Lockheed Martin Ventures, Honeywell and Safran. The company says its Ultra Short aircraft offer 2.5 times the payload, 10 times the range and 70% lower operating costs than helicopters and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded Textron Aviation an $18.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for one Beechcraft King Air 360CER, designated the UC-12W+, plus an initial package of spare parts for the U.S. Marine Corps. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2028, the same year four more UC-12W+ aircraft already in production are expected.

Textron Aviation announced the order in a press release dated November 9, 2026, and said the contract was awarded on September 28, 2026. According to the release, the Marine Corps’ active Operational Support Airlift inventory includes nine operational UC-12W and UC-12W+ aircraft, and the program projects a fleet of 30 UC-12W aircraft.

What the UC-12W+ is built to do

Textron Aviation describes the UC-12W+ as a tactical airlift platform for short-notice, time-sensitive, high-priority missions. The cabin can be reconfigured for passengers, cargo or mixed-use utility, and the aircraft can carry medical evacuation litters. The eight-seat passenger layout can be changed for cargo or medical transport.

The aircraft is based on the King Air 360CER and has extended-range fuel tanks, a large cargo door, Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion avionics and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines. Mission equipment listed by Textron Aviation includes secure military avionics and communications, night-vision-compatible lighting, weather detection, gravel-runway protection and aircraft survivability systems.

The release carries NAVAIR public release number SPR2026-0743 and contains no quotes from Marine Corps or Textron Aviation officials.

Where the UC-12W fleet is heading

The UC-12W aircraft are replacing the Marine Corps’ legacy nondeployable UC-12F, UC-12M and UC-35D utility aircraft, according to Textron Aviation. The fleet operates from Marine Corps Air Stations and transportation squadrons, including Camp Pendleton, California.

The September 28 award covers a single aircraft, while the service’s budget plans call for larger buys. Aviation Week reported on May 6, 2026, that the Marine Corps plans to buy 10 UC-12W support aircraft in fiscal 2027, with seven more planned for 2028, and that the Department of the Navy’s budget request includes $204.5 million to buy the modified Beechcraft C-12 Hurons from Textron Aviation. According to that report, the plan would nearly double the UC-12W fleet in one year.

Textron Aviation’s release does not say whether the new contract is part of those fiscal 2027 purchases, and it gives no schedule for retiring the UC-12F, UC-12M and UC-35D aircraft or for reaching the 30-aircraft fleet.

Other King Air 360 military business

The King Air 360 family has drawn other government buyers in 2026. AirPro News has reported on the Peruvian Army’s King Air 360C selection in April 2026 and on a Philippine King Air 360ER surveillance deal in January 2026.