Redwire Completes Acquisition of Edge Autonomy, Establishing Company as a Global Defense Tech Disruptor Specializing in Multi-Domain Solutions
Redwire Corporation (NYSE:RDW) ) ( "Redwire"), a global leader in aerospace and defense technology solutions, today announced it has completed its acquisition of Edge Autonomy Intermediate Holdings, LLC, together with its subsidiaries, ("Edge Autonomy"), a leading provider of field-proven uncrewed airborne system ("UAS") technology. The strategic transaction was approved by Redwire shareholders on June 13.
Transaction Highlights
- Transforms Redwire into a scaled and profitable space and defense tech company focused on the convergence of integrated autonomous operations for defense and national security. The combined company is uniquely positioned to deliver innovative space and airborne platforms—two of the fastest growing trends in defense technology.
- Purpose built proven technology portfolios bridge the gap between airborne and space-based systems and enable software-defined, AI-enabled, autonomous operations across multiple domains and orbits, from the surface of the Earth to the surface of the Moon, Mars, and beyond
- Significantly expands Redwire's global manufacturing and innovation presence with a highly skilled workforce of more than 1,300 employees and over 628,000 square feet of manufacturing and production capabilities across the U.S. and Europe after the combination.
- Accelerates Redwire's growth trajectory and strengthens its financial profile; the transaction is immediately accretive to Redwire's revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and Free Cash Flow
- The addition of Edge Autonomy's UAS technologies creates new integrated capabilities for Redwire's customers that leverage connectivity across space and airborne operations.
"We are pleased to complete this acquisition that establishes Redwire as a global leader in the aerospace and defense sector," said Redwire's Chairman and CEO Peter Cannito. "Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter as a combined company. With Edge Autonomy, we are uniquely positioned to transform the future of multi-domain operations and provide decisive advantages to U.S. and allied warfighters. We look forward to leveraging our combined capabilities to enable the most critical missions as we strive to achieve air and space superiority and create significant value for Redwire's customers and shareholders."
As previously disclosed, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, Redwire, as a combined company and assuming the transaction with Edge Autonomy had been consummated on January 1, 2025, forecasted full year revenues1 of $535 million to $605 million and Adjusted EBITDA1,2 of $70 million to $105 million with positive Free Cash Flow1,2
Advisors
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and GH Partners LLC served as financial advisors and Holland & Knight LLP served as legal advisor to Redwire. Texas Capital Securities acted as advisor and lead arranger on the debt financing. Roth Capital Partners served as financial advisor and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. served as legal advisor to the special committee of the Board of Directors. Citi and William Blair served as financial advisors and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Edge Autonomy.
About Redwire
Redwire Corporation (NYSE:RDW) is an integrated aerospace and defense company focused on advanced technologies. We are building the future of aerospace infrastructure, autonomous systems and multi-domain operations leveraging digital engineering and AI automation. Redwire's approximately 1,300 employees located throughout the United States and Europe are committed to delivering innovative space and airborne platforms transforming the future of multi-domain operations. For more information, please visit RDW.com.
Use of Projections
The financial outlook and projections, estimates and targets in this press release are forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions that are inherently subject to significant uncertainty and contingencies, many of which are beyond Redwire's or Edge Autonomy's control. Such calculation cannot be predicted with reasonable certainty and without unreasonable effort because of the timing, magnitude and variables associated with the completion of the proposed merger with Edge Autonomy. Additionally, any such calculation, at this time, would imply a degree of precision that could be confusing or misleading to investors. Neither Redwire nor Edge Autonomy's independent auditors have audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the financial projections for purposes of inclusion in this press release, and, accordingly, they did not express an opinion or provide any other form of assurance with respect thereto for the purposes of this press release. While all financial projections, estimates and targets are necessarily speculative, Redwire believes that the preparation of prospective financial information involves increasingly higher levels of uncertainty the further out the projection, estimate or target extends from the date of preparation. The assumptions and estimates underlying the projected, expected or target results for Redwire, Edge Autonomy and the combined company are inherently uncertain and are subject to a wide variety of significant business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the financial projections, estimates and targets. The inclusion of financial projections, estimates and targets in this press release should not be regarded as an indication that Redwire, or its representatives, considered or consider the financial projections, estimates or targets to be a reliable prediction of future events. Further, inclusion of the prospective financial information in this press release should not be regarded as a representation by any person that the results contained in the prospective financial information will be achieved.
Forward-Looking Statements
Readers are cautioned that the statements contained in this press release regarding expectations of our performance or other matters that may affect our or the combined company's business, results of operations, or financial condition are "forward-looking statements" as defined by the "safe harbor" provisions in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are made in reliance on the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated in this press release, including statements regarding our or the combined company's strategy, financial projections, including the prospective financial information provided in this communication, financial position, funding for continued operations, cash reserves, liquidity, projected costs, plans, projects, awards and contracts, and objectives of management, the expected benefits from the business combination and the expected performance of the combined company, among others, are forward-looking statements. Words such as "expect," "anticipate," "should," "believe," "target," "continued," "project," "plan," "opportunity," "estimate," "potential," "predict," "demonstrates," "may," "will," "could," "intend," "shall," "possible," "forecast," "trends," "contemplate," "would," "approximately," "likely," "outlook," "schedule," "pipeline," and variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control.
These factors and circumstances include, but are not limited to (1) risks associated with the continued economic uncertainty, including high inflation, effects of trade tariffs and other trade actions, supply chain challenges, labor shortages, increased labor costs, high interest rates, foreign currency exchange volatility, concerns of economic slowdown or recession and reduced spending or suspension of investment in new or enhanced projects; (2) the failure of financial institutions or transactional counterparties; (3) Redwire's limited operating history and history of losses to date as well as the limited operating history of Edge Autonomy and the relatively novel nature of the drone industry; (4) the inability to successfully integrate recently completed and future acquisitions, including the business combination with Edge Autonomy, as well as the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction or to realize estimated projected combined company results; (5) the development and continued refinement of many of Redwire's and the combined company's proprietary technologies, products and service offerings; (6) competition with new or existing companies; (7) the possibility that Redwire's expectations and assumptions relating to future results and projections with respect to Redwire or Edge Autonomy may prove incorrect; (8) adverse publicity stemming from any incident or perceived risk involving Redwire, Edge Autonomy, the combined company, or their competitors; (9) unsatisfactory performance of our and the combined company's products resulting from challenges in the space environment, extreme space weather events, the environments in which drones operate, including in combat or other areas where hostilities may occur, or otherwise; (10) the emerging nature of the market for in-space infrastructure services and the market for drones and related services; (11) inability to realize benefits from new offerings or the application of our or the combined company's technologies; (12) the inability to convert orders in backlog into revenue; (13) our and the combined company's dependence on U.S. and foreign government contracts, which are only partially funded and subject to immediate termination, which may be affected by changes in government program requirements, spending priorities or budgetary constraints, including government shutdowns, or which may be influenced by the level of military activities and related spending, such as in or with respect to ongoing or future conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, or as a result of changes in international support for military assistance to Ukraine; (14) the fact that Redwire and the combined company are subject to stringent U.S. economic sanctions and trade control laws and regulations, as well as risks related to doing business in other countries, including those related to tariffs, trade restrictions and government actions; (15) the need for substantial additional funding to finance our and the combined company's operations, which may not be available when needed, on acceptable terms or at all; (16) the dilution of holders of Redwire Common Stock that resulted from or will result from the issuance of additional shares of Redwire Common Stock as consideration for the acquisition of Edge Autonomy, as well as the issuance of Redwire Common Stock in any offering that may be undertaken in connection with such acquisition; (17) the fact that the issuance and sale of shares of Redwire Preferred Stock has reduced the relative voting power of holders of Redwire Common Stock and diluted the ownership of holders of our capital stock; (18) the ability to achieve the conditions to cause, or timing of, any mandatory conversion of the Redwire Preferred Stock into Redwire Common Stock; (19) the fact that AE Industrial Partners ("AE Industrial") and BCC Redwire Aggregator, L.P. and their affiliates have significant influence over us, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, as well as AE Industrial's increased voting power resulting from its receipt of equity consideration in Redwire's acquisition of Edge Autonomy; (20) the fact that provisions in our Certificate of Designation with respect to our Redwire Preferred Stock may delay or prevent our acquisition by a third party, which could also reduce the market price of our capital stock; (21) the fact that our Redwire Preferred Stock has rights, preferences and privileges that are not held by, and are preferential to, the rights of holders of our other outstanding capital stock; (22) the possibility of sales of a substantial amount of Redwire Common Stock by our stockholders following consummation of the transaction, which sales could cause the price of Redwire Common Stock to fall; (23) the impact of the issuance of additional shares of Redwire Preferred Stock as paid-in-kind dividends on the price and market for Redwire Common Stock; (24) the volatility of the trading price of Redwire Common Stock; (25) risks related to short sellers of Redwire Common Stock; (26) Redwire's or the combined company's inability to report its financial condition or results of operations accurately or timely as a result of identified material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, as well as the possible need to expand or improve Edge Autonomy's financial reporting systems and controls; (27) the effect of any announcement of the business combination on Redwire's or Edge Autonomy's business relationships, operating results and business generally; (28) risks that the business combination disrupts plans and operations of Redwire or Edge Autonomy; (29) the ability of Redwire or the combined company to finance its operations in the future; (30) the impact of any increase in the combined company's indebtedness incurred to fund working capital or other corporate needs, including the repayment of Edge Autonomy's outstanding indebtedness and transaction expenses incurred to acquire Edge Autonomy, as well as debt covenants that may limit the combined company's activities, flexibility or ability to take advantage of business opportunities, and the effect of debt service on the availability of cash to fund investment in the business; (31) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts and other expectations after the completion of the transaction, and identify and realize additional opportunities; (32) a significant portion of Edge Autonomy's revenues result from sales to customers in Ukraine, which sales have been declining and may continue to decline in the event that the war and hostilities in Ukraine end, decline or change, or as a result of changes in international support for military assistance to Ukraine; and (33) other risks and uncertainties described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and those indicated from time to time in other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by Redwire. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. If underlying assumptions to forward-looking statements prove inaccurate, or if known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from those anticipated, estimated, or projected. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Redwire disclaims any intention or obligation, other than imposed by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Persons reading this press release are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Non-GAAP Financial Information
This press release contains financial measures that have not been prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("U.S. GAAP"). These financial measures include forecasted Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow for Redwire assuming completion of the acquisition of Edge Autonomy. Certain financial metrics for the Redwire and Edge Autonomy businesses by Redwire management have not been calculated pursuant to Article 11 of Regulation S-X. Such calculation cannot be predicted with reasonable certainty and without unreasonable effort because of the timing, magnitude and variables associated with the completion of the proposed merger with Edge Autonomy. Additionally, any such calculation, at this time, would imply a degree of precision that could be confusing or misleading to investors. Further, we are unable to provide reconciliations to forward-looking Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow because we are unable to provide a meaningful or accurate calculation or estimation of certain reconciling items without unreasonable effort. This is due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliation. Thus, we are unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of the aforementioned forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most closely comparable forward-looking U.S. GAAP financial measure because such information is not available
Non-GAAP financial measures are used to supplement the financial information presented on a U.S. GAAP basis and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the relevant U.S. GAAP measures and should be read in conjunction with information presented on a U.S. GAAP basis. Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of Non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. We encourage investors and stockholders to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure.
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) adjusted for interest expense, net, income tax expense (benefit), depreciation and amortization, impairment expense, transaction expenses, acquisition integration costs, acquisition earnout costs, purchase accounting fair value adjustment related to deferred revenue, severance costs, capital market and advisory fees, litigation-related expenses, write-off of long-lived assets, equity-based compensation, committed equity facility transaction costs, debt financing costs, gains on sale of joint ventures, and warrant liability change in fair value adjustments. Free Cash Flow is computed as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less capital expenditures.
We use Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans, and make strategic decisions, including those relating to operating expenses and the allocation of internal resources. We use Free Cash Flow as a useful indicator of liquidity to evaluate our period-over-period operating cash generation that will be used to service our debt, and can be used to invest in future growth through new business development activities and/or acquisitions, among other uses. Free Cash Flow does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance, and it should not be inferred that the entire amount of Free Cash Flow is available for discretionary expenditures, since we have mandatory debt service requirements and other non-discretionary expenditures that are not deducted from this measure.
1 These amounts are the sum of the standalone full year forecasts for the Redwire and Edge Autonomy businesses by Redwire management. Please refer to "Use of Projections" included in this press release for additional information.
2 Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are not measures of results under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. Please refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Information" included in this press release for details regarding these Non-GAAP measures.
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