Mission Engineer

Police to launch drones as first responders in Camarillo, T.O. Ventura County Star Sept. 2, 2026, 4:04 p.m. PT * Ventura County OKs eight-year contract with Axon for drone system. * Thousand Oaks and Camarillo agreed to share the program's costs. * Through the new system, drones could start responding to calls later this fall. Drones could soon be the first units to get to a police call, from a missing child to an assault, in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks. Piloted by deputies miles away in the Ventura County Sheriff's Office dispatch center, the prepositioned unmanned aerial systems will be docked at spots around the two cities. Once deployed, the drones could show up before patrol deputies, shaving minutes off response times, officials said. Sheriff's Cmdr. Eric Tennessen said the program can close gaps, provide real-time information to responding deputies, and at times, deescalate a response. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors signed off on an agreement with Axon Enterprise Inc. for the Drone as First Responder system at a Sept. 1 meeting. The unanimous approval also included the addition of two deputies to pilot the drones. While supervisors OK'd the deal, the eight-year, $6.9 million contract will be paid for by Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, Tennessen said. The cities contract with the sheriff's office for police services and voted in favor of the move earlier this summer. The costs will be split, with 60% paid by Thousand Oaks and 40% by Camarillo, based on the expected number of calls for service. Funding for the additional deputies - nearly $636,000 annually - also will be shared by the cities. Does the sheriff's office already use drones? Last year, the Oxnard Police Department became the first law enforcement agency in the county to propose drones as first responders. The department, like the sheriff's office, had used drones to back up operations for years. Tennessen, also Camarillo's police chief, described the sheriff's existing program as patrol led. The team gets called in to help with incidents, from searches to traffic crash investigations, and flew 687 missions in 2025. The roughly three dozen deputies trained as UAS pilots also have regular assignments, he said. "It can take a significant amount of time for a pilot to respond from their primary assignment to the scene," the chief told supervisors. He called that one of the drawbacks of the current program, saying timing can be critical, he said. Now, the network of drones will be stored in weatherproof docks placed in pairs throughout the two cities, he said. A pilot at the dispatch center in Ventura can monitor calls. The drone can launch in under 40 seconds and fly up to 45 mph for 40 minutes, officials said. An onboard camera streams high-definition video, and after the call, the drone returns to its dock and lands on a charging pad. Will drones beat patrol deputies to a call? Hundreds of agencies now have drones as first responder programs, officials said. Elsewhere, law enforcement reported response times of under two minutes, Tennessen said. For context, he said, the response time for deputies on high priority calls in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks averages nearly seven to eight minutes. A faster response could give responding deputies more information about an incident, from spotting suspects and victims to identifying what, if any, weapons are involved. He told supervisors of an example of a call reporting a person with a gun. The drone pilot, however, confirmed that it was not a firearm but a lighter shaped like one. Will the sheriff's office address privacy concerns? During the Sept. 1 meeting, Supervisor Vianey Lopez asked when a policy would be finalized. She cited concerns over privacy and the misuse of tools intended to help protect communities. The sheriff's office said the policy was in the final stages of review. The agency plans to make flight logs available on a public dashboard that show the date, time, flight path and a case number at a minimum, officials said. As proposed, the policy also would require the camera view to remain level - looking forward, not down - until the drone gets to the scene. The recording would start when the drone gets to that designated location, Tennessen said. Drones also are only expected to respond to calls for service, officials said. The devices are not equipped with any facial recognition capabilities, biometric technology or an automated license plate reading system, according to the sheriff's office. When did cities OK drones as first responders? Thousand Oaks City Council signed off on funds for the program at an August meeting, and the Camarillo City Council did so during its overall budget approval in late June. The funds were added through the cities' contracts with the sheriff's office. Officials reviewed several platforms, including those from Axon, which use Skydio drones, Flock Safety and Paladin, before proposing a lease with Axon. Plans call for putting six drones in Thousand Oaks and four in Camarillo, and the program could start later this fall. The contract included software, data storage and equipment costs and runs through October 2034, in line with the sheriff's existing contract with Axon for body-worn cameras, Tasers and in-car video systems. In all, the program, including salaries and benefits, was estimated to cost $11.9 million over eight years, or $1.5 million annually. Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at [email protected]. Big Days: Up to 50% offThe Palladium Big Days are back! Enjoy up to 50% off and +5% extra if you book via its app your next vacation. Plus, if you're a Palladium Rewards member, you'll earn double points. Use the code BIGDAYS and book now.Palladium Hotel Group | Ad

AUB iPark and AXON launch GRID 01, opening a new soft-landing route for entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Partnership kicks off in Lagos with founders on the ground, connecting ventures to local market knowledge, customers, partners, mentors and capital networks. By Destiny Eseaga The Talal and Madiha Zein AUB Innovation Park, AUB iPark, and AXON, today launched GRID 01, kicking off a cross-border collaboration designed to help entrepreneurs move into new markets with the local connections and support needed to operate, test and grow. The partnership starts in Nigeria, with AXON providing the on-the-ground soft-landing layer for founders entering the market and AUB iPark bringing its venture-building programs, startup pipeline and international ecosystem. The model is practical: help founders get closer to the market. Through the collaboration, participating ventures can tap into local mentorship and expertise, market-entry and commercialization support, introductions to potential customers and corporate partners, investor and funding networks, and guidance around the practical requirements of operating in Nigeria. For entrepreneurs, this means spending less time navigating a new ecosystem from the outside and more time testing assumptions with the people who know the market. Starting with founders. GRID 01 launches with entrepreneurs supported through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Entrepreneurship Fund at AUB, with ventures from across Africa and Lebanon taking part in the Lagos activation. Rather than launching the partnership through a standalone announcement, AUB iPark and AXON are starting with entrepreneurs on the ground. The founders will engage directly with Nigerian investors, operators, mentors, corporate leaders and ecosystem partners through market-entry sessions, advisory clinics, introductions and meetings around GITEX Nigeria 2026. The objective is straightforward: turn exposure into useful market intelligence, relationships and opportunities. A bridge that works in both directions. Nigeria is the starting point for a broader cross-border model. AUB iPark and AXON are building GRID as a practical bridge through which entrepreneurs can access markets, networks and opportunities beyond their home ecosystems. The collaboration combines AUB iPark's venture-building capabilities and international network with AXON's local market knowledge, infrastructure and relationships in Nigeria. Over time, the platform is intended to support entrepreneurs moving into African markets and from African markets outward, creating new pathways between Africa, the Middle East and other global innovation ecosystems. The partnership will be developed through execution: start with founders, learn from the market, measure what works and expand where there is demonstrated value. GRID 01: where the partnership starts. The collaboration officially kicks off at GRID 01 Lagos on September 1, bringing together a curated group of founders, investors, corporate leaders and ecosystem builders. The gathering is designed less as a conference and more as a working room: founders meeting people who can open markets, investors seeing ventures entering new territory, and ecosystem partners exploring where they can contribute. GRID 01 will be followed by continued founder engagements and AUB iPark and AXON's presence at GITEX Nigeria, extending the conversations from the launch into the market.

Axon's Dedrone business just topped $100 million. Here's what it means. Last updated Aug 29, 2026 Key stats for AXON Stock. * Past week performance: 0.5% * 52-week range: $339.01 to $792.16 * Valuation model target price: $683 * Implied upside: 13.7% over 2.3 years Record Growth, Measured Reaction. Axon (AXON) has been roughly flat this week, but that quiet trading masks a stock still digesting one of its strongest quarters on record. Shares sit well below their 52-week high of $792.16, even after the company beat estimates and raised guidance in early August. Q2 revenue jumped 35% year over year to $904 million, marking Axon's tenth straight quarter of growth above 30%. Adjusted EPS came in at $1.88, and management raised full-year revenue growth guidance to 32% to 34%, up from 30% to 32% previously. Annual recurring revenue reached $1.6 billion, up 39%, and net revenue retention held at 126%. The standout story was Dedrone, Axon's counter-drone business, which surpassed $100 million in quarterly revenue for the first time after supporting all 11 U.S. World Cup stadiums. That pushed Platform Solutions revenue up 123% to $150 million. Software and services revenue grew 36% to $398 million, and the AI Era Plan surged nearly 700% year over year. CEO Rick Smith seemed genuinely surprised by the momentum on the earnings call. He said, "I was just looking at the numbers, thirty-nine percent. Wow," referring to Axon's annual recurring revenue growth. Insider sales during the quarter included routine transactions by Smith and other executives. Those sales occurred under prearranged trading plans and drew some attention from investors. They reflect normal diversification rather than a change in the company's outlook. If AXON stock stays this quiet while fundamentals keep improving, the gap between price and performance could eventually close. Is Axon Stock Still a Bargain After This Run? Under valuation model assumptions realized through 12/31/28, the stock is modeled using: * Revenue Growth (CAGR): 30.8% * Operating Margins: 6.0% * Exit P/E Multiple: 66.9x Based on these inputs, the model estimates a target price of $683, implying 13.7% total upside from the current share price and an annualized return of 5.6% over the next 2.3 years. That annualized return sits below the 9% threshold many investors use to call a stock moderately attractive, so Axon's valuation leaves less room for error than its growth headlines suggest. The stock's NTM P/E of about 67x already prices in years of continued expansion, and its LTM EBIT margin of just 1.7% shows profitability still has a long way to catch up to revenue growth. Product mix is the key swing factor. A greater share of services and new hardware, including Dedrone and body cameras, has weighed on adjusted gross margin, which slipped 40 basis points to 62.9% this quarter. Software-only margins remain above 80%, so the mix shift, not underlying unit economics, explains the pressure. Compared with its own five-year history, where EBITDA CAGR ran at 45.1%, Axon's current growth pace is actually accelerating even as margins compress. That combination is why the stock trades at a premium multiple despite a modest projected annualized return. Axon Versus Public Safety Peers: Motorola Solutions and L3Harris. Axon's closest public safety comparison is Motorola Solutions (MSI), a much larger and more mature player in radios, dispatch software, and video security. Motorola trades at a forward P/E near 28x with revenue growth around 8% to 9%, a fraction of Axon's forward two-year revenue CAGR of 31.3%. Axon's NTM P/E of roughly 67x more than doubles Motorola's multiple, reflecting the market's bet that Axon's AI-driven platform can keep compounding faster for longer. L3Harris Technologies (LHX), a defense and public safety technology provider, trades at a forward P/E near 18x with revenue growth closer to 4% to 5%. Both peers grow far slower than Axon, but they also carry thinner premiums, which highlights how much of Axon's valuation depends on sustaining its current growth rate. Axon's moat comes from its integrated ecosystem, spanning TASER devices, body cameras, cloud software, and counter-drone technology, all sold to the same public safety customers. That bundling makes it harder for point solution competitors to displace Axon once an agency is onboarded. What's Driving AXON Stock Going Forward? Federal expansion is the clearest near-term catalyst. Axon was named a participant in the $1.5 billion Department of Homeland Security counter-UAS program, and management expects federal momentum to build further as Dedrone deployments extend beyond stadium security into data centers and corporate campuses. International and enterprise bookings are also accelerating, with both categories roughly tripling year over year in Q2. Three of the top five AI Era Plan deals closed internationally, suggesting Axon's platform is resonating well beyond its traditional U.S. law enforcement base. Future contracted bookings rose 41% to $15.1 billion, and management expects five-year normalized bookings growth to stay above 30% into 2026. That backlog gives investors visibility into revenue well beyond the current quarter. Management also flagged Q4 as typically its strongest seasonal quarter, similar to 2025 patterns, so investors should expect growth and bookings momentum to build further into year-end. Should You Invest in Axon? The only way to really know is to look at the numbers yourself. TIKR gives you free access to the same institutional-quality financial data that professional analysts use to answer exactly that question. Pull up AXON, and you'll see years of historical financials, what Wall Street analysts expect for revenue and earnings in the quarters ahead, how valuation multiples have moved over time, and whether price targets are trending up or down. Disclaimer: Please note that the articles on TIKR are not intended to serve as investment or financial advice from TIKR or its content team, nor are they recommendations to buy or sell any stocks. TIKR create its content based on TIKR Terminal's investment data and analysts' estimates. Its analysis might not include recent company news or important updates. TIKR has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading, and happy investing! Table of Contents * Record Growth, Measured Reaction * Is Axon Stock Still a Bargain After This Run? * Axon Versus Public Safety Peers: Motorola Solutions and L3Harris * What's Driving AXON Stock Going Forward? * Should You Invest in Axon? * Disclaimer: General Investing Earnings Updates Join thousands of investors worldwide who use TIKR to supercharge their investment analysis.