🔒Defense tech company’s Bridgeport factory deal moves toward closing

A Florida-based defense technology company has signed definitive agreements to acquire a Bridgeport metal stamping factory, putting the $3.2 million deal on track to close as early as next week, according to newly filed documents with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Quantum Cyber N.V. said Monday that its subsidiary, Quantum Drones Corp., agreed to purchase the industrial property at 38 Union Ave. and the business operating there, Arcade Metal Stamping. The agreements replace a nonbinding letter of intent the company disclosed June 8. SEC filings show the transaction consists of two interdependent agreements signed June 26: a $2.3 million purchase of the roughly 50,000-square-foot factory from Arcade Realty LLC, and a $900,000 acquisition of the business assets of Arcade Technology LLC, plus the value of its inventory. Neither transaction can close without the other. Quantum Drones said it has deposited $300,000 into escrow and has been paying $10,000 a month to store equipment at the facility while the sale is pending, according to the documents. The agreements provide a 10-day due diligence period, with closing expected about three business days later, putting the transaction on track to close by the middle of next week. The filings also show the company plans to retain the principals behind the seller entities. William Rhone and Steven Pepe, the leaders of Arcade Metal Stamping, will receive three-year employment agreements paying $3,500 and $4,000 per week, respectively. The contracts include noncompete provisions and severance protections if either executive is terminated without cause. Under the agreement, Arcade Realty will place $250,000 into escrow at closing to cover potential environmental cleanup costs. The 1.09-acre property, near Interstate 95 in southeastern Bridgeport, will be sold “as is,” with Quantum Drones responsible for conducting environmental assessments after the acquisition closes. The purchase is central to Quantum Cyber’s plan to transform itself from a technology licensing company into a manufacturer of autonomous defense systems. The company has said the facility’s stamping presses, CNC machining centers and other equipment will be used to produce drone airframe components and structural assemblies. “Signing these definitive agreements turns our manufacturing strategy from an announcement into a binding commitment to acquire a real facility, real equipment, and an experienced team that knows how to run it,” CEO David Lazar said in a statement. Quantum Cyber has not disclosed how it plans to finance the Bridgeport acquisition, and did not respond to a request for comment. Quantum Drones is led by Peter O’Rourke, former acting secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Robert Liscouski, former assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security. The company has cited the Trump administration’s push to expand domestic drone manufacturing and the Pentagon’s proposed fiscal 2027 defense budget as key drivers of its strategy. Quantum Cyber, formerly known as Mainz Biomed N.V., pivoted from cancer diagnostics to autonomous defense technology and adopted its current name earlier this year.