AeroVironment shares closed 4.6% higher on Tuesday after the defense-technology company said a $20.2 million government investment would expand its Huntsville, Alabama, site to speed production of its Freedom Eagle-1 interceptor. The stock ended regular trading at $182.26, after touching $187.56 intraday, with volume above 1.6 million shares. The timing matters. Investors have been looking for proof that demand for cheaper, high-volume drone and missile-defense gear is moving from battlefield urgency into factory orders. AeroVironment said the Huntsville expansion would support low-rate initial production — an early, limited manufacturing run — and prepare for full-rate production, or larger-scale output, of the interceptor.
