Bell Potter says global defence thematic will define the decade. Nightingale stands to benefit

Aerospace & defence microcap Nightingale Security (ASX:NGL) on Monday revealed its execution of a contract with Halliburton to provide the latter with autonomous airborne drone security services. 

Halliburton is a multinational engineering firm that provides services to the onshore and offshore oil and gas industry around the world. 

That service offering now sees Haliburton take on the ASX-listed Nightingale as a third party provider of security services. 

““Physical security is a team sport, not an individual sport. Nightingale is clear on its role as a force multiplier and the benefits of integration,” company chief Jack Wu said. 

The physical security of energy assets has come into the fore in recent months following attacks on power stations by Russia in Ukraine, and, attacks on power stations in North Carolina, probably by US militant groups.

At any rate, Nightingale appears to have been sucked down into the red today along with the rest of the ASX; and no material revenues attached to the Halliburton and Iron Mountain contracts were stated. 

Worth noting: Nightingale joined the ASX just last month all the way from the US.

Protecting art, treasure, and secret documents 

Nightingale also on Monday revealed its execution of a similar contract with Iron Mountain, an NYSE-listed information security heavyweight which provides services including high-value art storage and transport, storage of billions of dollars worth of various other kinds of assets, secure information storage, and document destruction. 

In that light, it is clear why an information management company has solicited the services of Nightingale's autonomous drone products and software. 

Among Nightingale’s key services are remote drone monitoring around secured perimeters, audio-sensor-based gunshot detection and reconnaissance technology, and the ability to send radio data to US military receivers designed to use it. 

They are a competitor to another ASX-listed drone player, Droneshield (ASX:DRO), which holds contracts with the US government, as well as civil airports in Australia, US, and the EU. 

Bell Potter sees aerospace & defence upside 

Last week, Bell Potter began covering ASX-listed defence player XTEK (ASX:XTE). 

While that isn’t related to Nightingale, what they said in their maiden note on the company is. 

Bell Potter wrote: “XTEK is leveraged to the current trend of global rearmament, which is likely to be a central market narrative over the next decade.” 

While XTEK makes body armour and Nightingale sells of drones, the exposure to that same thematic is likely to provide a favourable macro context. 

Nightingale made the somewhat questionable decision to list in November; however, it already has a number of impressive clients due to its US operations