EagleNXT, the Kansas drone manufacturer formerly known as AgEagle, has taken another step into Israel’s defense‑tech ecosystem, announcing a $10 million investment in ThirdEye Systems, alongside plans for a US-based joint venture. The move marks the company’s second major Israeli acquisition in just over a month.
The new agreement gives EagleNXT just over 11 percent of ThirdEye’s shares and includes an option to expand the investment by another $m.. The companies will also launch a joint venture in Texas, where ThirdEye’s counter‑drone technologies will be adapted for the American and Canadian markets. The venture, to be called ThirdEye USA, is expected to begin operations in May this year and will be majority-owned by EagleNXT.
According to a press release by EagleNXT, the "partnership will combines EagleNXT’s expertise in unmanned aerial systems, multispectral and thermal sensors, and extensive deployment experience across defense and public safety sectors with ThirdEye Systems’ proprietary AI-driven electro-optical algorithms and proven counter-UAS solutions."
The collaboration is expected to accelerate the development and delivery of integrated, high-performance solutions for counter-UAS capability, situational awareness, target acquisition, and advanced aerial intelligence applications, delivering passive, stealthy, and real-time detection capabilities.
"Third Eye has developed world-class, high-performance optical detection and anti-drone systems that are a perfect complement to our expanding portfolio of UAV solutions,” said EagleNXT CEO Bill Irby.
“With the establishment of the joint venture at our facility in Allen, Texas, we are strengthening our position in the defense and security markets, while providing locally customized solutions manufactured in the United States, which meet the procurement and export requirements of the United States."
According to a press release by ThirdEye, the joint venture will leverage EagleNXT’s existing manufacturing, integration, testing, and support infrastructure in the US to help with local production, accelerate efforts to enter the market, and ensure full compliance with US requirements.
Founded in 2010, ThirdEye built its reputation long before the global surge in drone warfare made counter‑UAS technologies a top priority for militaries. Its early work focused on thermal and visual imaging systems capable of detecting small, fast‑moving aerial threats – capabilities that were initially considered niche but have since become indispensable.
Over the past decade, the company has refined its edge‑based AI processing, enabling real‑time detection and classification in environments where traditional radar systems struggle. Their systems are designed to operate in real time, under any conditions, and are already setting new standards for mobile, 24/7 surveillance in the field.
The company, based in Netanya, has built a reputation for advanced thermal and visual imaging systems used in tactical vehicles, fixed installations, and drone‑mounted platforms. The company’s drone detection systems, developed over five years with substantial investment, leverage ThirdEye’s proprietary electro-optical and AI-based imaging technology.
Its systems have been deployed in both military and homeland‑security environments, and the company has reported growing demand from NATO‑aligned customers, as well as in Gulf countries, in recent years.
ThirdEye CEO Lior Segal said the new partnership with EagleNXT represents “a strong vote of confidence” in the company’s technology and growth trajectory.
"We are pleased to announce the entry of a second strategic investor into the company, which opens up new business opportunities for us in one of the company's important target markets and will deepen our business relationships in the American market,” he said.
The joint venture in Texas, he added, will not only give ThirdEye a direct channel into the US defense market, long considered one of its most important strategic targets for Israeli defense tech companies, but expanded business capabilities to penetrate into international markets.
Israeli investments
The announcement comes a month after EagleNXT’s investment in Aerodrome Group, an Israeli developer of autonomous loitering munitions, also known as suicide drones. That earlier deal, announced in March, included an option to form a US joint venture, a crucial requirement for US defense procurement. That deal was framed by EagleNXT as a way to expand its capabilities in autonomy and precision strike platforms.
Together, the two transactions show that EagleNXT is trying aggressively to acquire footholds in Israeli companies that specialize in unmanned systems, as well as to position itself as a conduit between Israeli battlefield‑tested technologies and American defense procurement channels.
“Our joint venture with ThirdEye Systems, along with our recent strategic investment in Aerodrome Group Ltd. further strengthens our offering by adding advanced loitering munition and precision-strike Aerodrome capabilities, enabling autonomous target discrimination and next-generation offensive operations. Customers can now turn to a single, trusted partner for the complete air-domain spectrum: aerial intelligence gathering, robust counter-drone defenses, and high-precision offensive UAS capabilities, all designed to protect what matters most,” Irby said.
In an interview with Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post last month, Irby described Israel as an attractive location, thanks to its combination of engineering talent, real‑world combat experience, and relentless pace of innovation. He told D&T that EagleNXT executives had met with more than a dozen Israeli firms over the past two years as part of a deliberate push into the defense sector.
“What we’ve always found with Israeli firms is a diligent work ethic and state‑of‑the‑art technology with immediate real‑world applications,” he said at the time.
From farming to the battlefield
The shift marks a dramatic evolution for a company that began in 2010 as a precision‑agriculture drone start-up, founded by a Kansas farmer. According to Irby, the Russia‑Ukraine War accelerated US demand for unmanned systems and pushed EagleNXT to expand its defense portfolio far more rapidly than originally planned.
The investment in ThirdEye is part of a broader reorientation that began with its rebrand from AgEagle to EagleNXT. The company has since emphasized defense, public safety, and high‑performance aerial intelligence as core pillars of its future. The rapid succession of Israeli deals suggests that EagleNXT sees Israel not merely as a partner but as a strategic engine for its next phase of growth.
With investments now spanning both precision‑strike and counter‑drone technologies, the company is assembling a portfolio that mirrors the evolving demands of modern warfare, where autonomy, optical intelligence, and rapid deployment are defining the battlefield.
As geopolitical tensions remain high and continue to reshape defense priorities worldwide, EagleNXT’s buying spree in Israel signals a long‑term bet that the future of unmanned warfare will be built, tested, and refined in the crucible of Israeli innovation and then exported through American manufacturing power.