Swarmer (SWMR)

Stories

Defense tech startups race to public markets as Pentagon spending surges

Trading on Nasdaq as SWMR; volatile post-IPO range of $11.25–$68.97; trading around $40 in mid-April, well above $5 IPO price

AEVEX Aerospace, a maker of military drones and airborne surveillance systems, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on April 17, 2026, under the ticker AVEX—and its first day answered a central question about the defense tech IPO wave. Shares opened at $23.01 and closed at $26.93, a 34.7% gain that pushed its market capitalization to roughly $3 billion, well above the $2.35 billion valuation at pricing.

Updated Oct 29