Shares of Cadre Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CDRE) moved higher in after-hours trading, up 3.7%, after the company said a unit of its business, Safariland, will supply ballistic panels for a Federal Bureau of Investigation contract worth $61 million.
The specific component selected is Safariland’s SX HP ballistic panel, which will be incorporated into Predictive Ballistics LLC’s Overt Armor Kit, commonly referred to as OAK. The OAK program was awarded a five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract by the FBI, and the system is also made available to the United States Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other Department of Justice agencies.
According to the announcement, the SX HP panel was introduced in 2025 and emerged as the winner among 12 candidate products evaluated for the OAK program. The selection process included assessments of ballistic performance and construction quality, plus end-user testing focused on function, fit, and comfort.
"This award represents a major accomplishment for our team and underscores the constant commitment to innovation that remains at the heart of everything we do," said Brad Williams, President of Cadre Holdings. Williams added that the company engineered what it describes as one of the thinnest, lightest, and most protective hybrid ballistic armor solutions on the market.
Cadre Holdings is a manufacturer and distributor of safety equipment and related products serving law enforcement, first responders, the military, and nuclear markets. The company noted that the FBI contract increases its federal law enforcement pipeline and aligns with its strategy to develop mission-critical products for demanding end markets.
The company also highlighted structural features common to federal agency contracts of this type - multi-year terms, defined delivery schedules, and recurring demand tied to equipment modernization cycles. Those characteristics were cited by the company as typical drivers of follow-on order activity under awards of this nature.
Observers will watch how the contract contributes to Cadre Holdings' backlog and federal business development efforts, given the multi-year IDIQ framework and the potential availability of the OAK system to several Department of Justice entities.
Summary
Safariland, a subsidiary of Cadre Holdings, was selected to supply SX HP ballistic panels for Predictive Ballistics’ Overt Armor Kit under a five-year, $61 million FBI IDIQ contract. The panel was chosen after comparative testing of 12 products and will be available to multiple Department of Justice agencies. Cadre Holdings said the award strengthens its federal law enforcement pipeline and aligns with its mission to deliver mission-critical safety products.