随着Anduril以300亿美元估值的资金显示出强烈的无人机兴趣，AeroVirginia激增

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) +4.3% in Friday's trading, rising as much as 8%, after defense startup Anduril Industries closed a new funding round of $2.5B, a deal that more than doubles Anduril's valuation to $30.5B, Executive Chairman Trae Stephens told Bloomberg.

The latest capital injection and increased valuation - up from $14B last year - shows how quickly the company is establishing itself as a major player in American national security.

Anduril has said it wants to remake U.S. national defense, with a focus on technologies like drones and artificial intelligence; Stephens told Bloomberg that the company’s Autonomous Surveillance Towers and other systems now cover one-half to one-third of the U.S. border.

"The Anduril valuation suggests that investor appetite for drone exposure is very strong, which bodes well for AeroVironment," as well as Karman Holdings (KRMN), William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma said, according to Bloomberg.

Ukraine's stunning drone attack on Russian airfields showed the "transformational nature of drones on the battlefield," DiPalma wrote, noting that AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) CEO Wahid Nawabi said this week that it has drones with a similar launching mechanism to those used by Ukraine in its attack.