Largest Commercial Deployment of the IC Drone Platform to Date; Expanded Operational Scope is Expected to Support Previously Reported Path to Over $1 Million in Anticipated 2026 Revenue Under IEC Contract Alone
The Company believes the IC Drone and its recently launched AEROTRACE™ are well-aligned with a growing global focus on grid modernization, infrastructure reliability, and the use of robotics and AI-enabled tools in high-voltage utility maintenance
Fort Lauderdale, FL, June 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Duke Robotics Corp. (Nasdaq: DUKR; DUKRW) (“Duke Robotics” or the “Company”), a leader in advanced robotics and drone-based solutions for civilian and defense markets, today announced the successful commencement of its 2026 insulator cleaning drone (the “IC Drone”) season with the Israel Electric Corporation (“IEC”), Israel’s State owned and largest electricity supplier, under the expanded service agreement previously disclosed in March 2026.
The 2026 cleaning season is being executed with a materially broader operational footprint than any prior season, encompassing a substantially larger volume of high-voltage insulators serviced and an increased number of active field crews deploying the Company’s second-generation Insulator Cleaning Drone System (“ICDS2”). The expanded engagement reflects the IEC’s continued scaling of the role the IC Drone plays within its high-voltage transmission maintenance program and represents the largest commercial deployment of Duke Robotics’ IC Drone platform to date.
The Company previously disclosed that the expanded IEC purchase order is expected to generate over $1 million in revenue during 2026, marking a meaningful step in Duke Robotics’ transition from initial commercialization into recurring, scaled service revenue from utility customers.
“We believe that the launch of our 2026 cleaning season with the IEC is an important operational and commercial milestone for us,” said Yossef Balucka, Chief Executive Officer of Duke Robotics. “We have moved from initial commercial operations into a meaningfully larger service deployment in our home market – more high-voltage insulators serviced, more field crews, and what we believe provides increased visibility toward our previously stated 2026 revenue expectations from this contract alone. As our first major operational milestone since uplisting to the Nasdaq Capital Market, we believe that this season also demonstrates our ability to execute at greater scale, which we believe positions us well, as we work to deploy our technologies to larger national grids in new geographies.”
The 2026 season is being conducted using the ICDS2, the Company’s second-generation IC Drone platform, which offers extended flight time, increased payload capacity, enhanced stabilization, advanced radar capabilities, and improved cleaning durability versus the first-generation system. ICDS2 has been engineered to support operations at greater scale across more complex grid topologies, which the Company believes may position it to pursue opportunities in utility infrastructure markets significantly larger than Israel’s.
The Company believes the IC Drone and its recently launched AEROTRACE™ are well-aligned with a growing global focus on grid modernization, infrastructure reliability, and the use of robotics and AI-enabled tools in high-voltage utility maintenance. For example, on March 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy announced an approximately $1.9 billion funding opportunity under its SPARK program to accelerate upgrades to the U.S. power grid, alongside large-scale grid investment in the European Union, where the European Commission has identified approximately €584 billion in electricity grid investment needs by 2030, and across emerging economies, reflecting an expanding addressable opportunity for drone-enabled infrastructure services.1
About Duke Robotics
Duke Robotics Corp. (Nasdaq: DUKR; DUKRW) develops advanced stabilization and autonomous robotic drone systems for both civilian and defense markets. The Company’s Insulator Cleaning Drone (IC Drone) is a first-of-its-kind, drone-enabled system for cleaning and monitoring high-voltage electric utility insulators. Leveraging Duke’s technologies, the IC Drone provides a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative method. AEROTRACE™ is the Company’s AI-powered aerial monitoring and intelligence platform for infrastructure operators, designed to deliver actionable insights for asset assessment and proactive maintenance. In defense, through a collaboration agreement with Elbit Systems Land Ltd. (“Elbit”), the Bird of Prey weapons drone system is an agile, fully stabilized remote weapon system designed for non-line-of-sight and stand-off engagements, marketed by Elbit under the brand name Bird of Prey (formerly known as TIKAD). For additional Company information, please visit https://dukeroboticsys.com and follow us on Twitter (X) and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Words such as “future” and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are based on our beliefs, assumptions, and information currently available to us. For example, we are using forward-looking statements when we discuss the successful commencement of the 2026 insulator cleaning season with the IEC at the expanded operational scope, the anticipated generation of over $1 million in revenue from the expanded IEC purchase order during 2026, the Company’s transition from initial commercialization into recurring, scaled service revenue from utility customers, the Company’s ability to execute at greater scale, the IEC’s continued expansion of the role of the IC Drone within its high-voltage transmission maintenance program, the engineered capability of the ICDS2 platform to support operations at greater scale and across more complex grid topologies, the Company’s ability to pursue opportunities with larger utility operators and national grids in additional geographies, the belief that the ICDS2 positions the Company to address utility infrastructure markets significantly larger than Israel’s, the alignment of the IC Drone and AEROTRACE™ with a growing global focus on grid modernization, infrastructure reliability, and the use of robotics and AI-enabled tools in high-voltage utility maintenance, the expanding addressable opportunity for drone-enabled infrastructure services, including in connection with the U.S. Department of Energy’s $1.9 billion SPARK program and large-scale grid investment in the European Union and across emerging economies, and the Company’s ability to bring its technologies to larger national grids in new geographies. Our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied due to known or unknown risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, risks related to the successful market adoption of our technologies, the continued development and refinement of our technology, our ability to effectively collaborate with Elbit Systems, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, operational challenges associated with marketing activities in new markets, economic conditions that may affect defense spending and infrastructure investment, geopolitical factors that could impact business operations, regulatory challenges in various regions, and competition from technological advances. For additional information on these and other risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the discussion under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, and any subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Company Contact:
Duke Robotics Corp.
Yossef Balucka, CEO
invest@dukeroboticsys.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Arx Investor Relations
North American Equities Desk
duke@arxhq.com
1 Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, “Energy Department Announces $1.9B Investment in Critical Grid Infrastructure to Reduce Electricity Costs,” March 12, 2026 (available at https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-19b-investment-critical-grid-infrastructure-reduce-electricity); European Commission, “European Grids Package,” citing approximately €584 billion in identified electricity grid investment needs by 2030 (available at https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/infrastructure/european-grids_en).
