Kraus Hamdani Aerospace

Market context

Kraus Hamdani matters for endurance-focused unmanned systems, where long-range persistence, communications extension and low logistical overhead are core deployment advantages.

Products

• K1000ULE

Facts

• Website: https://www.khaero.com/
• HQ: Emeryville, California, United States
• Founded: 2016
• Segment: defense robotics

Commercial

3 commercial events; 3 contract awards; 3 named customers; $20M disclosed obligated value; $270M disclosed ceiling value; latest event 2026-04-09

• 2026-04-09 - Contract award - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace awarded $270 million AFCENT contract to accelerate deployment of K1000ULE - U.S. Department of Defense - K1000ULE rapid deployment (IDIQ) - $270M ceiling - source: k…
• 2024-10-30 - Contract award - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace secures $20 million APFIT contract with the U.S. Army for K1000ULE production and delivery - U.S. Army / USSOCOM - $20M obligated - source: khaero.com
• 2024-04-03 - Contract award - U.S. Navy selects Kraus Hamdani Aerospace's K1000ULE solar-electric VTOL UAS for the Marine Corps Small Unit Remote Scouting System - U.S. Marine Corps - Small Unit Remote Scouting System (…

Ultra-long-endurance unmanned aircraft for data collection and defence missions

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace develops ultra-long-endurance unmanned aircraft systems. Its K1000 platform is designed for persistent flight, data collection and mission support across defence, public safety, environmental monitoring and commercial use cases.

• Target environment: Defence missions, environmental monitoring, disaster response, public safety operations, infrastructure observation and long-endurance aerial data collection.
• Deployment model: UAS platform model built around aircraft design, long-endurance flight systems, mission payloads, customer programs and aerospace engineering.
• Customer context: Defence customers, public safety agencies, environmental organizations, infrastructure operators and users needing persistent aerial data.
• Workflow context: Long-endurance unmanned flight, persistent sensing, aerial data collection, surveillance, disaster response and payload-enabled UAS missions.
• Commercial maturity: Kraus Hamdani has defence and field robotics visibility through unmanned ground systems, with maturity tied to rugged autonomous platforms and customer use in military or industrial environments.
• Market position: UAS builder positioned around ultra-long-endurance aerial robotics and persistent data collection.
• Adoption constraints: Flight reliability, payload flexibility, customer validation, production scale, certification, defence procurement and competition from other long-endurance UAS providers.
• Adjacent context: Aerial robotics, defence drones, long-endurance UAS, public safety robotics and environmental monitoring.
• Source confidence: medium

Events

• 2026-04-09 - Contract Award - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace awarded $270 million AFCENT contract to accelerate deployment of K1000ULE - U.S. Air Forces Central awarded Kraus Hamdani Aerospace a $270 million single-source IDIQ rapid deployment contract tied to the K1000ULE unmanned aerial system. The company framed the award around faster fielding of long-endurance ISR and resilient connectivi…
• 2025-09-09 - Regulatory - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace's K1000ULE joins the DoD Blue UAS Cleared List and Blue UAS Select List - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace said the fully electric K1000ULE was added to both the Defense Innovation Unit's Blue UAS Cleared List and Blue UAS Select List. The company said the designation validated the aircraft as secure, NDAA-compliant, and ready for immediate…
• 2025-06-03 - Demonstration - U.S. Army expands K1000ULE use during Salaknib 25 in the Philippines - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace said the U.S. Army broadened deployment of the K1000ULE across the Indo-Pacific during Exercise Salaknib 25. Operating with the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, the aircraft provided real-time intelligence and communication relay support a…
• 2025-05-05 - Demonstration - K1000ULE supports multi-domain reconnaissance and network extension missions during Balikatan 25 - During Balikatan 25, the K1000ULE supported multi-domain reconnaissance and network extension missions alongside the Philippine Air Force. Operated by the 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion, the system flew with high-altitude balloons and electronic warfare s…
• 2025-04-11 - Demonstration - U.S. Army soldiers independently operate the K1000ULE during Static Focus 3 - During Static Focus 3, the 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion independently operated the K1000ULE for the first time. The exercise at Yakima Training Center marked a step in the unit's ability to field ultra-long-endurance UAS for reconnaissance and deep sens…
• 2024-10-30 - Contract Award - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace secures $20 million APFIT contract with the U.S. Army for K1000ULE production and delivery - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace said it received $20 million through the Department of Defense's Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program. The contract supports production and delivery of K1000ULE systems to U.S. Army Pacific's 1st M…
• 2024-04-03 - Contract Award - U.S. Navy selects Kraus Hamdani Aerospace's K1000ULE solar-electric VTOL UAS for the Marine Corps Small Unit Remote Scouting System - U.S. Navy PMA 263 selected Kraus Hamdani Aerospace to provide the K1000ULE solar-electric VTOL unmanned aerial system. The company said the system would be fielded by the United States Marine Corps Small Unit Remote Scouting System. Kraus Hamdani said the awa…

Operations / Deployments

• 2024-10-30 - Contract Award - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace secures $20 million APFIT contract with the U.S. Army for K1000ULE production and delivery - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace said it received $20 million through the Department of Defense's Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program. The contract supports production and delivery of K1000ULE systems to U.S. Army Pacific's 1st M…

Team

• Fatema Hamdani - Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

Context tags

• Defence prime layer - Stack Layer
• Defence UAV prime - Peer Group
• Defence UAV ISR - Workflow

Customers and deployments

• Contract Value Usd - $270 million AFCENT contract - 2026-04-09 - AFCENT - long-endurance UAS operations - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace was awarded a $270 million AFCENT contract to accelerate deployment of K1000ULE UAS. - so…
• Contract Value - US$20 million - 2024-10-30 - U.S. Army - defense UAS procurement - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace secured a US$20 million APFIT contract with the U.S. Army for K1000ULE production and delivery. - source postur…
• Selection Status - selected for SURSS program - 2024-04-03 - U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps - defense UAS procurement - The U.S. Navy selected Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000ULE solar-electric VTOL UAS for the Marine Corps…