AEVEX Aerospace is a far more reasonably priced way into defense. @michaelsikand calls it a $3.6B Anduril competitor that shipped 10K drones to Ukraine, guides to $800M of 2026 revenue, beat Anduril on an Army program and is valued over $1B below Ondas despite 5x the forward revenue. Execution will be judged quarter by quarter. Risks are competition, lumpy contract-based growth and margins that may barely expand. x.com 

AEVEX Aerospace actually manufactures drones at scale, while Ondas mostly issues shares, making AEVEX the far better long. AEVEX did $432.9M of 2025 revenue to Ondas's $50.7M at 72% of the market cap, with $503M of funded backlog toward an $800M 2026 guide and 1,000 drones a month from Tampa. Ondas lacks a consolidated US factory, its share count went from 49M to 482M in three years, and it trades at 23-28x forward sales versus AEVEX's 4.5x. AEVEX's October lockup expiry is worth trimming into. … Show more

AEVEX's management and private-equity owners diluted IPO buyers right after the roadshow, and holders are still heading for the exits even on a big up day for drones. A quoted post says management either badly misjudged its cash needs six weeks ago or got poor advice from its bankers, or both, to return for a dilutive offering so soon after the IPO. x.com 

AEVEX stands to benefit from the $75 billion 2026 US drone budget request, which a defense official said mostly targets evaluating, buying or modifying drone systems already in use. AEVEX has shipped 10,000 Group I-V drones to Ukraine under two Defense Department contracts worth $1.2 billion. Most of the request should be approved, and it does not depend on Ukraine, so a possible Russia-Ukraine negotiation need not hurt the case. x.com  x.com 

AVEX is taking off because it meets irreplaceable defense demand for low-cost, expendable kamikaze drones. The Russia-Ukraine war shows masses of cheap drones outpacing costly missiles and jets, and its modular, 3D-printed one-way attack drone can be mass-produced cheaply, fitting the Pentagon's Replicator push for swarming systems. It held $356.6M of funded backlog in late March, 93% due to become 2026 revenue, with 88% of revenue from the US government. As a new IPO, it has no trapped holders. … Show more

Aevex Aerospace isn't cheap just because its EV/revenue or price-to-sales multiples look reasonable next to AeroVironment and Kratos. A dollar of Aevex revenue is not worth the same, as those two have much more sophisticated technology, while Aevex focuses on low-cost drones, an even more competitive market. It is worth considering only once people stop talking about it. x.com 

Enovix's initial drone-battery order and $216 million drone, defense and industrial pipeline underpin the bullish setup. A dual-use drone maker ordered 100,000 batteries for delivery in the first half of 2027, with follow-on orders expected afterward. Early Q3 revenue rose 38% to $11 million and beat guidance. Friday's call volume was about twice normal; the rounding-bottom setup favors a breakout if shares reclaim and hold $2.97, with targets of $3.59, $4.17 and $5.00. x.com 

Avex is the pick to own the drone arms race now that the defense budget earmarks $53 billion for drone technology, a 24,000% increase. Drones are no longer a future theme but the current arms race. x.com 

AEVEX's private-equity owner has begun its exit early, confirming the overhang. Per AEVEX's S-1, Madison Dearborn launched a secondary offering priced at $27, with underwriters waiving the October lockup so it can sell now; the stock closed at $24.61. Madison Dearborn will still control about 70% of voting power, so this is only the beginning of its exit. The filing also confirms Ukraine end-users were a substantial portion of 2025 revenue. The Q1 beat and new Air Force contract are real. x.com 

Drone stocks fell in 2026 even as backlogs hit records: Ukraine turned aircraft into ammunition, and the Pentagon's 2027 request holds nearly $75B for drones and counter-drone. AeroVironment's reordered loitering munitions and Kratos's jet drones are highest conviction. Counter-drone names Ondas, Axon, Motorola Solutions, Safe Pro, DroneShield and Rheinmetall gain as threats grow, Unusual Machines from Chinese-parts bans. Primes bury drone exposure; pure plays may not convert backlog. x.com  … Show more