Global Defense Stocks Have Rocketed Higher In 2025 as Artificial Intelligence Technology Fueling Big Gains

MarketNewsUpdates News Commentary

NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2025 /CNW/ -- The market for defense stocks is positioned to continue its annual growth rate in the coming decade. A recent article on Forbes.com discussed the future of Autonomous Drones and the Defense Tech boom itself. It said: "As some of the market's biggest tech names lose steam, investors are turning to less crowded corners of the high-tech sector where growth and disruption remain alive and well. Global defense stocks have rocketed higher in 2025, particularly those focusing on artificial intelligence applications and other cutting-edge defense technology. These weapons are changing the way wars are fought and are having an equally significant impact on the way the Defense Department spends its enormous budget. The implications are both exciting and frightening.  Rising global defense budgets have contributed to renewed demand for traditional defense assets, such as fighter jets, ballistic missiles, and armored vehicles and tanks, made by industry's incumbents such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing. However, innovation in many weapons technologies, led by relative newcomers such as Anduril and Shield AI, will see a growing share of funds to promote development of futuristic weapons such as autonomous drone swarms, lasers that can shoot down small aircraft, and hypersonic missiles that glide undetected through the atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound."  Active Companies leading the way in military & defense operations include VisionWave Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: VWAV), RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX), Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT), AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW).

The Forbes article continued: "Autonomous drones powered by artificial intelligence are changing the way battles are fought. Real-time innovations coming from the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war highlight the evolving capabilities of drone technology. By enhancing surveillance, reconnaissance, and logistics operations, these unmanned systems can identify enemy positions, deliver precision-guided strikes, and carry out high-risk missions without endangering human lives. Imagine dozens of quadcopter drones launched from the back of moving remote-controlled vehicles, each loaded with different types of explosives, sent on a coordinated attack of military camp in a remote location. Anyone who has seen a drone 4th of July light show can attest to the operational capabilities of hundreds of swarming drones powered by artificial intelligence."

VisionWave (NASDAQ: VWAV) Achieved Highest Technical Attribute Score of 5 Out of 5 from Nasdaq Dorsey Wright - Upgrade to Strongest Tier Underscores Growing Momentum Following S&P Index Inclusion - VisionWave Holdings Inc. ($VWAV), ("VisionWave" or the "Company") a developer of advanced AI-driven sensing, defense, and autonomous technologies, today announced that Nasdaq Dorsey Wright has upgraded the Company's Technical Attribute to 5 (out of 5) -- the highest possible rating within its system, designating VWAV as a "Strong Buy" under Nasdaq Dorsey Wright's proprietary momentum model.

The Nasdaq Dorsey Wright Technical Attribute is a quantitative measure of relative price momentum and trend strength across U.S. equities. A rating of 4 reflects sustained positive momentum and strong relative strength versus the broader market, indicating that VWAV shares have demonstrated strong performance relative to many industry peers over the evaluated period. 

This recognition comes shortly after VisionWave's inclusion in the S&P Total Market Index (TMI), one of the broadest U.S. equity benchmarks maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices. Together, these two independent acknowledgments underscore the Company's growing visibility and strength within the public capital markets.

"Receiving a Technical Attribute of 5 from Nasdaq Dorsey Wright is another objective indicator of VisionWave's momentum in the marketplace," said Doug Davis, Executive Chairman of VisionWave Holdings. "It follows our recent S&P TMI inclusion and we believe reflects both the increasing confidence investors have in our strategy and the consistent execution by our team as we expand our defense and AI-sensing initiatives."

VisionWave continues to execute on its mission to commercialize next-generation sensing and autonomy systems for defense and civilian applications, leveraging its proprietary radar, photonics, and Evolved Intelligence™ (EI) technologies.  Continued…  Read this full release and additional news for VWAV by visiting: https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VWAV/news/

Other recent developments in the military/defense industries include:

Pratt & Whitney, an RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX) business, recently announced that type certification for the GTF Advantage engine has been validated by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), paving the way for entry into service in 2026. The engine was certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year.

"EASA certification marks another critical milestone for the GTF Advantage program, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to deliver value for our customers," said Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney. "With enhanced payload and range capability, and a more durable configuration that delivers up to double the time on wing, the GTF Advantage will be a game-changer for operators."

The GTF Advantage will deliver 4% more takeoff thrust at sea level airports and 8% more at high altitude airports, along with better fuel efficiency. GTF Advantage is fully intermixable and interchangeable with today's GTF engine model and will ultimately become the production standard.

Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT) recently announced a development roadmap with AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) to enable Red Cat's FANG™ FPV drones to be deployed as a payload from AV's P550™ all-electric Group 2 eVTOL UAS.

Red Cat is actively working with AV to develop a marsupial configuration that enables the P550 to carry and release FANG from its modular CLIK interface. Leveraging the P550's Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) architecture, the concept demonstrates how interoperable unmanned systems can work together to deploy a smaller FPV drone from a long-endurance Group 2 platform to extend reach and tactical flexibility within a single mission framework.

"This collaboration reflects how U.S. companies can come together to advance modular, interoperable technologies that strengthen operational capability," said Jeff Thompson, CEO of Red Cat. "By exploring how FANG can be deployed from the P550, we're showing what's possible when small, agile systems are paired with long-endurance platforms to create greater reach, responsiveness, and mission versatility."

"The P550 was engineered with open-architecture flexibility at its core," said Jason Hendrix, Vice President & General Manager of sUAS at AV. "Our collaboration with Red Cat underscores that design philosophy and the integration of payloads like FANG broaden operational reach and create new mission possibilities for the warfighter. Together, we're demonstrating how adaptable Group 2 systems can integrate with sUAS to support the Army's vision for scalable, multi-echelon operations."

Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a global leader in space and defense technology solutions, recently announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Edge Autonomy, has partnered with Red Cat (Nasdaq: RCAT), a U.S.-based provider of advanced all-domain drone and robotic solutions for defense and national security. Together, the companies will integrate Red Cat's Teal Drones Black Widow -- a compact, small uncrewed aerial system (sUAS) quadcopter -- with Edge Autonomy's Stalker, a Group 2 fixed-wing VTOL UAS, to support U.S. Army echelon missions requiring advanced surveillance, reconnaissance, and situational awareness.

The Edge Autonomy Stalker is purpose built with a modular open systems approach (MOSA) to meet multiple mission needs. With flexible payload capacity, the Stalker can easily integrate compact drones to support the U.S. Army across multiple echelons including platoon, company, battalion, and brigade. The Black Widow can be mounted under the center wing of the Stalker as a deployable payload, extending mission range with the Stalker acting as a carrier, launch platform, and communications relay.

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