Tessera Defense Secures Option to Acquire Aerostat Specialist RT

The $1 million payment is fully refundable should Tessera decide against the acquisition, which is valued at up to $13 million. During this 90-day window, the company is performing due diligence to validate RT’s reported $15 million backlog and various pipeline projects. Regardless of whether the purchase proceeds, the two companies have agreed that RT will provide a non-exclusive, perpetual technology license to Tessera within 60 days, allowing for immediate data integration between RT’s airborne platforms and Tessera’s broader sensing and response systems.

RT’s Skystar and SkyGuard aerostat systems provide extended, low-cost elevated coverage, a capability that complements Tessera’s current deployments at energy sites and military installations. CEO Michael Oster noted that the acquisition would extend the company's security cycle—Predict, Sense, Analyze, Decide, and Act—into the airborne domain. If exercised, the purchase would be financed through an expanded credit facility and equity offerings. The global market for these persistent surveillance systems is expected to see significant growth, projected to rise from $2.35 billion in 2025 to $6.49 billion by 2035.