08:37 AM EST, 01/06/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) said Monday that it was awarded a five-year contract valued at $1.45 billion under the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed, or MACH-TB, 2.0 program to provide hypersonic flight testing services for the US Department of Defense.

Kratos will lead Task Area 1, which involves systems engineering, integration, and testing, including subscale and full-scale flight tests and air launch services, the company said. It will work with multiple subcontractors and partners, including Leidos (LDOS), Rocket Lab (RKLB), and certain academic institutions, Kratos added.

The company said the contract, managed by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, aims to increase hypersonic flight test capacity and accelerate the development and deployment of hypersonic technologies.

Kratos said the contract is the "single largest award" in its history.

Shares of the company were up nearly 9% in recent Monday premarket activity.