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Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, a developer of solar-powered drones that can fly for days at a time, received a $20 million U.S. Department of Defense contract.

Why it matters: The deal shows how military spending can propel green-oriented companies. 

Driving the news: Kraus Hamdani Aerospace will supply its K1000ULE — as in "ultra long endurance" — aircraft to the U.S. Army and Joint Special Operations Command.

The company's autonomous aircraft can draw power from solar panels and on-board batteries to stay aloft for over three days. 

Zoom in: Kraus Hamdani Aerospace "has been entirely self-funded and operates based on revenue," a spokesperson tells Axios.

The Emeryville, Calif.-based company has received $61 million in contracts, the spokesperson says.

Zoom out: Kraus Hamdani Aerospace is part of a growing list of green or green-adjacent startups and legacy companies landing lucrative defense contracts, from alternative fuels maker Air Company to utility Duke Energy.

Reality check: Unlike startups such as Verne or South 8 Technologies, which first focused on sustainability before expanding to defense, Kraus Hamdani from the start targeted national security.

About 20% of the company's work is in non-defense sectors, including energy and environment roles such as oil and gas pipeline monitoring and wildfire response. 

What we're watching: "Long-term, we aim to achieve a 50/50 split between defense and other technology applications," the spokesperson says.

Exclusive: Solar drone maker KHA lands $20M defense deal

Defense contracts are propelling the green company.

A photo shows a Kraus Hamdani Aerospace drone from below, flying beneath a blue sky.

Kraus Hamdani aircraft can draw power from batteries and solar panels. Photo: Courtesy of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace

Drones

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, a developer of solar-powered drones that can fly for days at a time, received a $20 million U.S. Department of Defense contract.Why it matters: The deal shows how <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="military spending" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2024/10/17/climate-sustainability-startups-defense-tech-dod-iqt" data-vars-content-id="43400f3a-d9d2-4d36-a900-71233fdf20ba" data-vars-headline="Exclusive: Solar drone maker KHA lands $20M defense deal" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2024/10/17/climate-sustainability-startups-defense-tech-dod-iqt" target="_self">military spending</a> can propel green-oriented companies.

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Exclusive: Solar drone maker KHA lands $20M defense deal

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