On Sept. 9, longtime Fort Worth-based defense contractor Elbit Systems of America adopted a new name, Twenty-Six Defense, a move that reflects the company’s U.S.-focused identity, expanded domestic footprint and heritage.
The name Twenty-Six draws inspiration from iron, element 26 on the periodic table, representing strength, resilience and durability, according to the company.
It also gives the U.S. division of Israel-based Elbit Systems an identity that puts a focus on domestic design and onshore production, officials said.
“The name reflects what we are doing, and that’s why we decided to do the change,” Luke Savoie, president and CEO of Twenty-Six, told the Fort Worth Report. “A lot of investment going on domestically in the U.S. We wanted to be very clear to our customers when they hear Twenty-Six Defense, they know it’s for the U.S. by the U.S.”
The rebranding was in process for three years after Savoie was named president and CEO in 2023. He served for a decade in the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command before working for various defense contractors.
The rebranding journey also reflects the company’s closer alignment with U.S. national security priorities and a focus on domestic manufacturing. It also led to a new mission statement: “We strengthen those who protect freedom.”
“We were already there before the Department of War got there, in terms of being prepared to be on a wartime footing, supply chain resiliency, all these things,” Savoie said. “We were in that mindset already because our partners are always in that mindset. It’s in our DNA to always be thinking that way, to never take the day for granted, to never have single points of failure and always be looking for ways to deliver quicker. We’re just naturally in that mode.”
It’s a big move for Twenty-Six, whose parent company reported revenues of $7.94 billion with 20,537 employees worldwide. Twenty-Six represents about 21% of the parent company’s revenue, just under $1.6 billion.
Twenty-Six has been in Fort Worth since it acquired a 215,729-square-foot facility at 4700 Marine Creek Parkway from General Dynamics in 1993. That was when General Dynamics sold its aircraft division to Lockheed Martin. Since, Twenty-Six has grown to approximately 1,800 employees across 13 states with about 700 working in Fort Worth.
The company operates in several segments:
Defense and military: Key products include the helmet-mounted displays, night vision systems, precision-guided seekers and laser targeting systems. In May, Twenty-Six received an order valued at $212 million to be the sole producer of the enhanced night vision goggles for the U.S. Army. The company has also developed SkyStriker, a fully autonomous suicide drone that operates as an unmanned aerial vehicle and can also be used like a missile.
Homeland security and law enforcement: Surveillance and tactical support products. The company recently secured roughly $370 million from multiple contracts supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Commercial aviation: Avionics and flight instrumentation.
Medical instrumentation: Specialized technology components.
“At Twenty-Six Defense, we’re committed to delivering affordable mass with combat-proven technology and American-built reliability,” Savoie said. “We’re building on our trusted legacy delivering helmet-mounted displays and cockpit solutions that fuse more information for our nation’s airmen to be more lethal, with a range of effectors and precision seekers that dominate the modern fight.”
Some of the products manufactured by Twenty-Six appear to be straight from science fiction, including see-through, head-mounted display technology that provides armored fighting vehicle operators 360-degree views from inside a closed-hatch vehicle.
Elbit Systems, the parent company, says it spends 6.5% of its budget on research and development or about $500 million in 2025.
There is more cutting-edge technology to come.
“We’re the lead on augmented reality and enhancement of the soldier’s effectiveness at night through night vision and thermal and the fusion of all of that,” Savoie said. “We want to bring that information to the soldier in an augmented reality environment that’s combat tested and resilient.”
While Twenty-Six is a key part of North Texas’ large defense economy, it often works as a supplier to other defense companies such as Bell or Lockheed Martin.
Twenty-Six is part of a large and growing defense industry in North Texas. A new study on the economic and fiscal impact of the region’s defense industry was recently released by the North Texas Commission. Conducted by The Perryman Group, the study finds the defense industry supports $35.3 billion in annual gross product, or the monetary value of all finished goods and services. The industry also supports 264,603 jobs across the 13-county Dallas-Fort Worth region. The industry also provides $1.76 billion in state tax revenue and $1.50 billion in local tax revenue.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
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