Firefly Aerospace Buys Defense Firm SciTec for $855 Million

Firefly Aerospace is spending $855 million to buy SciTec, a defense analytics company based in Princeton. The aerospace firm announced the deal on Sunday.

The purchase price includes $300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares. Closing is expected sometime before 2026 arrives.

SciTec makes money selling missile detection equipment and space monitoring systems to military customers. The company pulls in about $164 million annually. Space Force recently gave SciTec a contract worth $259 million to create ground equipment for tracking missiles from orbit.

According to a recent publication, Firefly just became a public company two months ago. Investors valued it at around $10 billion during the IPO. Now the company wants to become much more than a rocket builder. Management sees big opportunities in defense contracting.

The Pentagon needs help tracking threats from space and detecting incoming missiles. Private companies with the right technology can win lucrative contracts. Golden Dome is one program looking for commercial solutions. Firefly thinks owning SciTec gets them into this game faster.

Jim Lisowski runs SciTec today and will keep that job after Firefly takes over. SciTec becomes a subsidiary but keeps operating independently. This setup lets Firefly tap into defense work without disrupting SciTec's existing business.

The deal changes what kind of company Firefly is. Starting out, they focused on building rockets and satellites. Now they're assembling pieces to become a complete defense supplier. Manufacturing launch vehicles is just one part. Adding analytics and tracking systems creates a broader portfolio that appeals to Pentagon buyers.