1230 ET - The Defense Department appears to be moving fast to assemble a fleet of new autonomous weapons amid conflict in the Middle East, a trend that should boost drone stocks, Stifel analysts say in a note. The U.S. used a one-way autonomous kamikaze attack drone in its strikes in Iran, marking the drone's first combat use following a successful test by the U.S. Navy in December, the analysts say. "The fact that a drone was deployed in combat after just 3 months from initial testing is evidence how quickly the DoW is moving to field new low-cost autonomous weapons," the analysts say. They say the drone is made by SpektreWorks, a privately held company based in Arizona. The analysts say they continue to like drone stocks like Kratos, Ondas and AeroVironment. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 02, 2026 12:31 ET (17:31 GMT)

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