DroneShield plunges as regulators probe $70m executive trades

Australia's financial regulator is reviewing DroneShield's November disclosures after three executives sold shares following a botched $7.6 million US government deal announcement that was later rescinded as incorrect. The ASX compliance team queried nearly $70 million in share sales by executives, while shares plunged to three-month lows despite an $8.2 million repeat order from a European military customer. The timing of executive trades immediately after the false announcement, followed by the correction, raises potential insider trading concerns in the only publicly listed company focused exclusively on counter-drone technology. With shares up 118 percent over the prior 12 months on defense tech demand, the regulatory scrutiny threatens to derail momentum in a sector valued at over $10 billion.