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Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-198266

This preliminary prospectus supplement relates to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, but is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED November 17, 2016

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(to Prospectus dated September 17, 2014)

                        Shares

Common Stock

        We are offering            shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "KTOS." On November 16, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market was $6.94 per share.

        Certain of our directors and affiliated stockholders and entities may participate in this offering.

        Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please read "Risk Factors" beginning on page S-12 of this prospectus supplement, on page 6 of the accompanying prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

        Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

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We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain expenses. See "Underwriting."

        Delivery of the shares of common stock is expected to be made on or about November       , 2016. We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to an additional            shares of our common stock solely to cover over-allotments, if any. If the underwriters exercise the option in full, the total public offering price will be            , the total underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us will be $            , and our total proceeds, before expenses, will be $            .

        The underwriters expect to deliver the common stock in book-entry form only, through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company, against payment in immediately available funds on or about November       , 2016.

   

Prospectus Supplement dated November       , 2016

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

        This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") utilizing a "shelf" registration process. This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference, which describes the specific terms of this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference, provides more general information. Generally, when we refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. We urge you to carefully read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, before buying any of the securities being offered under this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement may add to or update information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference therein. To the extent that any statement we make in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in the accompanying prospectus or any documents incorporated by reference therein that were filed before the date of this prospectus supplement, the statements made in this prospectus supplement will be deemed to modify or supersede those made in the accompanying prospectus and such documents incorporated by reference therein.

        You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, or incorporated by reference herein or therein. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with different information. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. You should not rely on any unauthorized information or representation. This prospectus supplement is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the applicable document and that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the date of delivery of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, or any sale of a security.

        Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this prospectus to "the Company," "we," "us," "our" and "Kratos" refer to Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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DILUTION

        If you purchase shares in this offering, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the offering price per share and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering. Our net tangible book value as of September 25, 2016 was $(            ) million, or $ (            ) per share of common stock. "Net tangible book value" is total assets minus the sum of liabilities and intangible assets. "Net tangible book value per share" is net tangible book value divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding.

        After giving effect to the sale by us of                  shares of our common stock in this offering at the offering price of $        per share, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, and approximately $        of estimated offering expenses payable by us, our net tangible book value as of September 25, 2016 would have been approximately $(            ) million, or $(            ) per share of common stock. This amount represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $            per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $            per share to purchasers in this offering.

        The following table illustrates the dilution:

        The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after the closing of this offering is based on 60,524,033 shares of common stock outstanding as of November 15, 2016 and excludes, as of that date:

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3,421,650 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options at a weighted average exercise price of $8.06 per share;



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1,085,592 shares of common stock available for future grant under the Plans; and



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2,377,226 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting and settlement of restricted stock units.

        If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of common stock, our net tangible book value as of September 25, 2016 would have been approximately $    million, or $        per share of common stock, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $        per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $        per share to purchasers in this offering.

        To the extent that any outstanding options are exercised, new options are issued under the Plans, or we otherwise issue additional shares of common stock in the future, at a price less than the public offering price, there will be further dilution to the investor.

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RISK FACTORS

        An investment in our common stock involves a substantial risk of loss. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as modified and superseded pursuant to Rule 412 under the Securities Act, before you decide to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the following risks could harm our business. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our operations. You should also refer to the other information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or incorporated by reference herein or therein, including our financial statements and the notes to those statements and the information set forth under the heading "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements."

Risks Related to Our Business

The U.S. Government provides a significant portion of our revenue, and our business could be adversely affected by changes in the fiscal policies of the U.S. Government and governmental entities.

        In fiscal 2013, 2014 and 2015, we generated 62%, 57% and 61%, respectively, of our total revenues from contracts with the U.S. Government (including all branches of the U.S. military and foreign military sales), either as a prime contractor or a subcontractor. We expect to continue to derive most of our revenues from work performed under U.S. Government contracts. See the Industry Update section in Item 1 "Business" contained within the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2015, for a discussion of the current budgetary and funding constraints on U.S. Government spending and legislation enacted to reduce the U.S. federal deficit. As a result, we have experienced and expect to continue to experience reduced or delayed awards on some of our programs, with a related negative impact to our revenues, earnings and cash flows. Competitor bid protests also have become more prevalent in the current competitive environment resulting from decreased government spending, which has led to further contract award delays. In addition, any future changes to the fiscal policies of the U.S. Government and foreign governmental entities may decrease overall government funding for defense and homeland security, result in delays in the procurement of our products and services due to lack of funding, cause the U.S. Government and government agencies to reduce their purchases under existing contracts, or cause them to exercise their rights to terminate contracts at-will or to abstain from exercising options to renew contracts, any of which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows.

If we fail to establish and maintain important relationships with government agencies and prime contractors, our ability to successfully maintain and develop new business may be adversely affected.

        Our reputation and relationship with the U.S. Government, and in particular with the agencies of the DoD and the U.S. intelligence community, are key factors in maintaining and developing new business opportunities. In addition, we often act as a subcontractor or in "teaming" arrangements in which we and other contractors bid together on particular contracts or programs for the U.S. Government or government agencies. We expect to continue to depend on relationships with other prime contractors for a portion of our revenue for the foreseeable future. Negative press reports regarding conflicts of interest, poor contract performance, employee misconduct, information security breaches or other aspects of our business, regardless of accuracy, could harm our reputation. Additionally, as a subcontractor or team member, we often lack control over fulfillment of a contract, and poor performance on the contract could tarnish our reputation, even when we perform as required. As a result, we may be unable to successfully maintain our relationships with government agencies or prime contractors, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to maintain our existing business and compete successfully for new business.

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Many of our contracts contain performance obligations that require innovative design capabilities, are technologically complex, require state-of-the-art manufacturing expertise, or are dependent upon factors not wholly within our control. Failure to meet these obligations could adversely affect our profitability and future prospects. Early termination of client contracts or contract penalties could adversely affect our results of operations.

        We design, develop, and manufacture technologically advanced and innovative products and services, which are applied by our customers in a variety of environments. Problems and delays in development or delivery as a result of issues with respect to design, technology, licensing and intellectual property rights, labor, inability to achieve learning curve assumptions, manufacturing materials or components could prevent us from meeting requirements. Either we or the customer may generally terminate a contract as a result of a material uncured breach by the other. If we breach a contract, or fail to perform in accordance with contractual service levels, delivery schedules, performance specifications, or other contractual requirements set forth therein, the other party thereto may terminate such contract for default, and we may be required to refund money previously paid to us by the customer or to pay penalties or other damages. Even if we have not breached, we may deal with various situations from time to time that may result in the amendment or termination of a contract. These steps can result in significant current period charges and/or reductions in current or future revenue. Other factors that may affect revenue and profitability include inaccurate cost estimates, design issues, unforeseen costs and expenses not covered by insurance or indemnification from the customer, diversion of management focus in responding to unforeseen problems, and loss of follow-on work.

If our subcontractors or suppliers fail to perform their contractual obligations, our performance and reputation as a contractor and our ability to obtain future business could suffer.

        As a prime contractor, we often rely upon other companies as subcontractors to perform work we are obligated to perform for our customers. As we secure more work under certain of our contracts, we expect to require an increasing level of support from subcontractors that provide complementary and supplementary services to our offerings. We are responsible for the work performed by our subcontractors, even though in some cases we have limited involvement in that work. If one or more of our subcontractors fails to satisfactorily perform the agreed-upon services on a timely basis or violates U.S. Government contracting policies, laws or regulations, our ability to perform our obligations as a prime contractor or meet our customers' expectations may be compromised. In extreme cases, performance or other deficiencies on the part of our subcontractors could result in a customer terminating our contract for default. A termination for default could expose us to liability, including liability for the agency's costs of re-procurement, could damage our reputation and could hurt our ability to compete for future contracts.

        We also are required to procure certain materials and parts from supply sources approved by the U.S. Government. The inability of a supplier to meet our needs or the appearance of counterfeit parts in our products could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We face intense competition from many competitors that have greater resources than we do, which could result in price reductions, reduced profitability or loss of market share.

        We operate in highly competitive markets and generally encounter intense competition to win contracts from many other firms, including mid-tier federal contractors with specialized capabilities, large defense contractors and IT services providers. Competition in our markets may increase as a result of a number of factors, such as the entrance of new or larger competitors, including those formed through alliances or consolidation, or the reduction in the overall number of government contracts. We may also face competition from prime contractors for whom we currently serve as

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subcontractors or teammates if those prime contractors choose to offer customer services of the type that we are currently providing. Recently, procurement award determinations have been based on lowest price, technically acceptable proposals. In addition, we may face competition from our subcontractors who, from time-to-time, seek to obtain prime contractor status on contracts for which they currently serve as a subcontractor to us.

        Many of our competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing and public relations resources, larger customer bases and greater brand or name recognition than we do. Such competitors may be able to utilize their substantially greater resources and economies of scale to, among other things:

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divert sales from us by winning very large-scale government contracts, a risk that is enhanced by the recent trend in government procurement practices to bundle services into larger contracts and the recent trend of making award determinations on a lowest price, technically acceptable basis;



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divert sales from us by the award of government contracts to our competitors who may be willing to bid at substantially lower prices;



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force us to charge lower prices; or



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adversely affect our relationships with current customers, including our ability to continue to win competitively awarded engagements in which we are the incumbent.

        In the event that the market for products in our Unmanned Systems ("US") reporting segment expands, we expect that competition will intensify as additional competitors enter the market and current competitors expand their product lines. In order to secure contracts successfully when competing with larger, well-financed companies, we may be forced to agree to contractual terms that provide for lower aggregate payments to us over the life of the contract, which could adversely affect our margins. In addition, larger diversified competitors serving as prime contractors may be able to supply underlying products and services from affiliated entities, which would prevent us from competing for subcontracting opportunities on these contracts. If we lose business to our competitors or are forced to lower our prices, our revenue and operating profits could decline.

Our business is dependent upon our ability to keep pace with the latest technological changes.

        The market for our services is characterized by rapid change and technological improvements. Failure to respond in a timely and cost-effective way to these technological developments would result in serious harm to our business and operating results. We have derived, and we expect to continue to derive, a substantial portion of our revenues from providing innovative engineering services and technical solutions that are based upon today's leading technologies and that are capable of adapting to future technologies. As a result, our success will depend, in part, on our ability to develop and market service offerings that respond in a timely manner to the technological advances of our customers, evolving industry standards and changing customer preferences.

        We believe that, in order to remain competitive in the future, we will need to continue to invest significant financial resources to develop new offerings and technologies or to adapt or modify our existing offerings and technologies, including through internal research and development, acquisitions and joint ventures or other teaming arrangements. These expenditures could divert our attention and resources from other projects, and we cannot be sure that these expenditures will ultimately lead to the timely development of new offerings and technologies or identification of and expansion into new markets. Due to the design complexity of our products, we may, in the future, experience delays in completing the development and introduction of new products. Any delays could result in increased costs of development or deflect resources from other projects. In addition, there can be no assurance that the market for our products will develop or continue to expand or that we will be successful in

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newly identified markets as we currently anticipate. The failure of our technology to gain market acceptance could significantly reduce our revenues and harm our business. Furthermore, we cannot be sure that our competitors will not develop competing technologies that gain market acceptance in advance of our products.

        Additionally, the possibility exists that our competitors might develop new technology or offerings that might cause our existing technology and offerings to become obsolete. If we fail in our new product development efforts or our products or services fail to achieve market acceptance more rapidly as compared to our competitors, our ability to procure new contracts could be negatively impacted, which could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.

If the UAS and Unmanned Ground Systems ("UGS") markets do not experience significant growth, if we cannot expand our customer base or if our products do not achieve broad acceptance, then we may not be able to achieve our anticipated level of growth.

        For the nine months ended September 25, 2016, our US segment accounted for 10.3% of our total revenue. We cannot accurately predict the future growth rate or size of this market. Demand for our products may not increase, or may decrease, either generally or in specific markets, for particular types of products or during particular time periods. There are only a limited number of major programs under which the U.S. military, our primary customer, is currently funding the development or purchase of our UAS and UGS products. Although we are seeking to expand our US customer base to include foreign governments, domestic non-military agencies and commercial customers, we cannot assure that our efforts will be successful. The expansion of the UAS and UGS markets in general, and the market for our products in particular, depends on a number of factors, including the following:

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customer satisfaction with these types of systems as solutions;



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the cost, performance and reliability of our products and products offered by our competitors;



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customer perceptions regarding the effectiveness and value of these types of systems;



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limitations on our ability to market our US products and services outside the U.S. due to U.S. government regulations; and



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marketing efforts and publicity regarding these types of systems.

        Even if UAS and UGS gain wide market acceptance in general, our specific products may not adequately address market requirements or may not gain market acceptance. If these types of systems generally, or our products specifically, do not gain wide market acceptance, then we may not be able to achieve our anticipated level of growth and our revenue and results of operations may suffer.

Loss of our General Services Administration ("GSA") contracts or GWACs could impair our ability to attract new business.

        We are a prime contractor under several GSA contracts and GWAC vehicles. We believe that our ability to provide services under these contracts will continue to be important to our business because of the multiple opportunities for new engagements each contract provides. If we were to lose our position as prime contractor on one or more of these contracts, we could lose substantial revenues and our operating results could suffer. GSA contracts and other GWACs typically have a one or two-year initial term with multiple options exercisable at the government customer's discretion to extend the contract for one or more years. We cannot be assured that our government customers will continue to exercise the options remaining on our current contracts, nor can we be assured that our future customers will exercise options on any contracts we may receive in the future.

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Government contracts differ materially from standard commercial contracts, involve competitive bidding and may be subject to cancellation or delay without penalty.

        Government contracts frequently include provisions that are not standard in private commercial transactions and are subject to laws and regulations that give the U.S. Government rights and remedies not typically found in commercial contracts, including provisions permitting the U.S. Government to:

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terminate our existing contracts;



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reduce potential future income from our existing contracts;



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modify some of the terms and conditions in our existing contracts;



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suspend or permanently prohibit us from doing business with the U.S. Government or with any specific government agency;



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impose fines and penalties;



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subject us to criminal prosecution;



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suspend work under existing multiple year contracts and related task orders if the necessary funds are not appropriated by Congress;



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claim rights in technologies and systems invented, developed or produced by us.

        In addition, government contracts are frequently awarded only after formal competitive bidding processes, which have been and may continue to be protracted and typically impose provisions that permit cancellation in the event that necessary funds are unavailable to the government agency. Competitive procurements impose substantial costs and managerial time and effort in order to prepare bids and proposals for contracts that may not be awarded to us. In many cases, unsuccessful bidders for government contracts are provided the opportunity to formally protest certain contract awards through various agencies, administrative and judicial channels. We have experienced an increase in competitor bid protests on contracts on which we were the successful bidder due to the competitive environment resulting from decreased government spending. In addition, we have formally protested procurement awards in which we were not the initial successful bidder, but believed that the source selection process was flawed. The protest process may substantially delay a successful bidder's contract performance, result in cancellation of the contract award entirely and distract management. We may not be awarded contracts for which we bid, and substantial delays or cancellation of purchases may follow our successful bids as a result of such protests. We believe that this environment of protracted competitive bidding processes and competitor bid protests will continue.

        Certain of our government contracts also contain "organizational conflict of interest" clauses that could limit our ability to compete for certain related follow-on contracts. For example, when we work on the design of a particular solution, we may be precluded from competing for the contract to install that solution. While we actively monitor our contracts to avoid these conflicts, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to avoid all organizational conflict of interest issues.

We may not receive the full amounts estimated under the contracts in our backlog, which could reduce our revenue in future periods below the levels anticipated. This makes backlog an uncertain indicator of future operating results.

        Backlog is typically subject to large variations from quarter to quarter and comparisons of backlog from period to period are not necessarily indicative of future revenues. The contracts comprising our backlog may not result in actual revenue in any particular period or at all, and the actual revenue from such contracts may differ from our backlog estimates. The timing of receipt of revenues, if any, on

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projects included in backlog could change because many factors affect the scheduling of projects. Cancellation of or adjustments to contracts may occur. Additionally, all U.S. Government contracts included in backlog, whether or not funded, may be terminated at the convenience of the U.S. Government. The failure to realize all amounts in our backlog could adversely affect our revenues and gross margins. As a result, our funded, unfunded and total backlog as of any particular date may not be an accurate indicator of our future earnings.

A preference for minority-owned, small and small disadvantaged businesses could impact our ability to be a prime contractor and limit our opportunity to work as a subcontractor on certain governmental procurements.

        As a result of the Small Business Administration ("SBA") set-aside program, the federal government may decide to restrict certain procurements only to bidders that qualify as minority-owned, small, or small disadvantaged businesses. As a result, we would not be eligible to perform as a prime contractor on those programs and in general would be restricted to no more than 49% of the work as a subcontractor on those programs. An increase in the amount of procurements under the SBA set-aside program may impact our ability to bid on new procurements as a prime contractor, limit our opportunity to work as a subcontractor or restrict our ability to compete on incumbent work that is placed in the set-aside program.

U.S. Government in-sourcing could result in loss of business opportunities and personnel.

        The U.S. Government has continued to reduce the percentage of contracted services in favor of more federal employees through an initiative called "in-sourcing." Over time, in-sourcing could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Specifically, as a result of in-sourcing, government procurements for services could be fewer and smaller in the future. In addition, work we currently perform could be in-sourced by the federal government and, as a result, our revenues could be reduced. Moreover, our employees could also be hired by the government. This loss of our employees would necessitate the need to retain and train new employees. Accordingly, the effect of in-sourcing or the continuation of in-sourcing at a faster-than-expected rate, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our business could be negatively impacted by security threats, including cybersecurity threats, and other disruptions.

        Many of the systems we develop, install and maintain involve managing and protecting information involved in intelligence, national security and other sensitive or classified U.S. Government functions. We face various security threats, including cybersecurity threats, to gain unauthorized access to this sensitive information. Such threats can come from external as well as internal sources. We also face threats to the safety of our directors, officers, and employees; threats to the security of our facilities and infrastructure; and threats from terrorist acts. Although we utilize various procedures and controls to monitor these threats and mitigate our exposure to such threats, there can be no assurance that these procedures and controls will be sufficient in preventing security threats from materializing. If any of these events were to materialize, they could lead to the loss of sensitive information, critical infrastructure, personnel or capabilities essential to our operations and prevent us from being eligible for further work on sensitive or classified systems for U.S. Government customers. Further, any losses we incur from such a security breach could exceed the policy limits under our errors and omissions and product liability insurance. Any losses we incur, any damage to our reputation or any limitations on our eligibility for additional work resulting from a security breach could materially reduce our revenue and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        Cybersecurity attacks in particular are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data, and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in mission critical systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise

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protected information and corruption of data. We have experienced cybersecurity attacks and may experience them in the future. These events could damage our reputation and lead to financial losses from remedial actions, loss of business, loss of proprietary and trade secret information or potential liability.

If we experience systems or service failure, our reputation could be harmed and our customers could assert claims against us for damages or refunds.

        We create, implement and maintain IT solutions that are often critical to our customers' operations. We have experienced, and may in the future experience, some systems and service failures, schedule or delivery delays and other problems in connection with our work. If we experience these problems, we may:

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lose revenue due to adverse customer reaction;



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cause customers to postpone, cancel or fail to renew contracts;



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receive negative publicity, which could damage our reputation and adversely affect our ability to attract or retain customers; and



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suffer claims for substantial damages.

        We cannot ensure that provisions in our customer contracts will be legally sufficient to protect us if we are sued.

        In addition, our errors and omissions and product liability insurance coverage may not be adequate, may not continue to be available on reasonable terms or in sufficient amounts to cover one or more large claims, or the insurer may disclaim coverage as to some types of future claims. The successful assertion of any large claim against us could seriously harm our business. Even if not successful, these claims may result in significant legal and other costs, be a distraction to our management and harm our reputation.

Our products are complex and could have unknown defects or errors, which may increase our costs, harm our reputation with customers, give rise to costly litigation, or divert our resources from other purposes.

        Our products, including but not limited to unmanned vehicles, aerial targets, UAS and ballistic missile targets, are extremely complex and must operate successfully with complex products from other vendors. Despite testing, our products have contained defects and errors and may in the future contain defects or errors, or experience performance problems, when first introduced, when new versions or enhancements are released, or even after these products have been used by our customers for a period of time. These problems could result in expensive and time-consuming design modifications or warranty charges, delays in the introduction of new products or enhancements, significant increases in our service and maintenance costs, diversion of our personnel's attention from our product development efforts, exposure to liability for damages, damaged customer relationships, and harm to our reputation, any of which could materially harm our results of operations. In addition, increased development and warranty costs could be substantial and could reduce our operating margins.

        The existence of any defects, errors, or failures in our products or the misuse of our products could also lead to lawsuits against us, result in injury, death, or property damage, and significantly damage our reputation and support for our products in general.

        Although we maintain insurance policies, we cannot provide assurance that this insurance will be adequate to protect us from all material judgments and expenses related to potential future claims or that these levels of insurance will be available in the future at economical prices or at all. A successful

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liability claim could result in substantial cost to us. Even if we are fully insured as it relates to a claim, the claim could nevertheless diminish our brand and divert management's attention and resources, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Due to the volatile and flammable nature of certain components of our products and equipment, fires or explosions may disrupt our business or cause significant injuries, which could adversely affect our financial results.

        The development and manufacture of certain of our products involves the handling of a variety of explosive and flammable materials as well as high power equipment. From time to time, these activities may result in incidents that could cause us to temporarily shut down or otherwise disrupt some manufacturing processes, causing production delays and resulting in liability for workplace injuries and/or fatalities. We have safety and loss prevention programs that require detailed reviews of process changes and new operations, along with routine safety audits of operations involving explosive materials, to mitigate such incidents, as well as a variety of insurance policies. However, we cannot ensure that we will not experience such incidents in the future or that any such incidents will not result in production delays or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Our financial results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter.

        We expect our revenue and operating results to vary from quarter to quarter. Reductions in revenue in a particular quarter could lead to lower profitability in that quarter because a relatively large amount of our expenses are fixed in the short-term. We may incur significant operating expenses during the start-up and early stages of large contracts and may not be able to recognize corresponding revenue in that same quarter. We may also incur additional expenses when contracts are terminated or expire and are not renewed.

        In addition, payments due to us from our customers may be delayed due to billing cycles or as a result of failures of government budgets to gain congressional and administration approval in a timely manner. The U.S. Government's fiscal year ends September 30. If a federal budget for the next federal fiscal year has not been approved by that date in each year, our customers may have to suspend engagements that we are working on until a budget has been approved. Any such suspensions may reduce our revenue in the fourth quarter of the federal fiscal year or the first quarter of the subsequent year. The U.S. Government's fiscal year end can also trigger increased purchase requests from customers for equipment and materials. Any increased purchase requests we receive as a result of the U.S. Government's fiscal year end would serve to increase our third or fourth quarter revenue, but will generally decrease profit margins for that quarter, as these activities generally are not as profitable as our typical offerings.

        Additional factors that may cause our financial results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter include those addressed elsewhere in these Risk Factors and the following factors, among others:

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the terms of customer contracts that affect the timing of revenue recognition;



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variability in demand for our services and solutions;



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commencement, completion or termination of contracts during any particular quarter;



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timing of shipments and product deliveries;



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timing of award or performance incentive fee notices;



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timing of significant bid and proposal costs;

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the costs of remediating unknown defects, errors or performance problems of our product offerings;



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variable purchasing patterns under GSA contracts, GWACs, blanket purchase agreements and other indefinite delivery or indefinite quantity contracts;



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restrictions on and delays related to the export of defense articles and services;



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costs related to government inquiries;



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strategic decisions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs and joint ventures;



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strategic investments or changes in business strategy;



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changes in the extent to which we use subcontractors;



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seasonal fluctuations in our staff utilization rates;



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changes in our effective tax rate, including changes in our judgment as to the necessity of the valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax assets; and



•

the length of sales cycles.

        Significant fluctuations in our operating results for a particular quarter could cause us to fall out of compliance with the financial covenants related to our debt, which if not waived, could restrict our access to capital and cause us to take extreme measures to pay down our debt, if any, under the Credit Agreement. In addition, fluctuations in our financial results could cause our stock price to decline. See the risks and uncertainties related to our ability to raise additional capital below in "We may need additional capital to fund the growth of our business, and financing may not be available on favorable terms or at all."

Our margins and operating results may suffer if we experience unfavorable changes in the proportion of cost-plus-fee or fixed-price contracts in our total contract mix.

        Although fixed-price contracts entail a greater risk of a reduced profit or financial loss on a contract compared to other types of contracts we enter into, fixed-price contracts typically provide higher profit opportunities because we may be able to benefit from cost savings and operating efficiencies. In contrast, cost-plus-fee contracts are subject to statutory limits on profit margins and generally are the least profitable of our contract types. Our U.S. Government customers typically determine what type of contract we enter into. Cost-plus-fee and fixed-price contracts in our federal business accounted for approximately 19% and 74%, respectively, of our federal business revenues for the nine months ended September 25, 2016. To the extent that we enter into more cost-plus-fee or less fixed-price contracts in proportion to our total contract mix in the future, our margins and operating results may suffer.

Our cash flow and profitability could be reduced if expenditures are incurred prior to the final receipt of a contract.

        We provide various professional services, specialized products, and sometimes procure equipment and materials on behalf of our customers under various contractual arrangements. From time to time, in order to ensure that we satisfy our customers' delivery requirements and schedules, we may elect to initiate procurement in advance of receiving final authorization from the government customer or a prime contractor. If our government or prime contractor customer's requirements should change or if the government or the prime contractor should direct the anticipated procurement to another contractor or if the equipment or materials become obsolete or require modification before we are under contract for the procurement, our investment in the equipment or materials might be at risk if

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we cannot efficiently resell them. This could reduce anticipated earnings or result in a loss, and negatively affecting our cash flow and profitability.

We have incurred and may continue to incur goodwill impairment charges in our reporting entities, which could harm our profitability.

        As of September 25, 2016, goodwill represented approximately 55% of our total assets. We periodically review the carrying values of our goodwill to determine whether such carrying values exceed the fair market value. If impairment testing indicates that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the goodwill of the reporting unit is deemed impaired. Accordingly, an impairment charge would be recognized for that reporting unit in the period identified.

        The identification and measurement of impairment involves the estimation of the fair value of reporting units. Accounting for impairment contains uncertainty because management must use judgment in determining appropriate assumptions to be used in the measurement of fair value. The estimates of fair value of reporting units are based on the best information available as of the date of the assessment, incorporate management assumptions about expected future cash flows and contemplate other valuation techniques. Future cash flows can be affected by changes in industry or market conditions, among other things.

        Given the current market conditions and continued economic uncertainty in the U.S. defense industry, including sequestration and issues surrounding the national debt ceiling, our future revenues, profits and cash flows could be substantially lower than our current projections. Our ability to penetrate new international markets could also impact our current projections. Additional market factors could impact our projections and our ability to successfully develop new products and platforms. For example, our US reporting unit forecasts include the successful completion of certain performance criteria on new unmanned systems platforms, and acceptance of new unmanned systems platforms on a technical basis as well as from a political and government budgetary standpoint. In addition, market-based inputs to the calculations in the impairment test, such as weighted average cost of capital, and market multiples, could also be negatively impacted. Such circumstances may result in the future deterioration of the fair value of our reporting units and an impairment of our goodwill. Due to continual changes in market and general business conditions, we cannot predict whether, and to what extent, our goodwill and long-lived intangible assets may be impaired in future periods. Any resulting impairment loss could harm our profitability and financial condition.

Failure to properly manage projects may result in additional costs or claims.

        Our engagements often involve large scale, highly complex projects. The quality of our performance on such projects depends in large part upon our ability to manage the relationship with our customers and to effectively manage the project and deploy appropriate resources, including third-party contractors and our own personnel, in a timely manner. Any defects or errors or failure to meet customers' expectations could result in claims for substantial damages against us. Our contracts generally limit our liability for damages that arise from negligent acts, errors, mistakes or omissions in rendering services to our customers. However, we cannot be sure that these contractual provisions will protect us from liability for damages in the event we are sued. In addition, in certain instances, we guarantee customers that we will complete a project by a scheduled date. If the project experiences a performance problem, we may not be able to recover the additional costs we will incur, which could exceed revenues realized from a project. Finally, if we underestimate the resources or time we need to complete a project with capped or fixed fees, our operating results could be adversely affected.

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We use estimates when accounting for contracts, and any changes in such estimates could have an adverse effect on our profitability and our overall financial performance.

        When agreeing to contractual terms, our management makes assumptions and projections about future conditions and events, many of which extend over long periods. These projections assess the productivity and availability of labor, complexity of the work to be performed, cost and availability of materials, impact of delayed performance and timing of product deliveries. Contract accounting requires judgment relative to assessing risks, estimating contract revenues and costs, and making assumptions for schedule and technical issues. Due to the size and nature of many of our contracts, the estimation of total revenues and costs at completion is complicated and subject to many variables. For example, assumptions are made regarding the length of time to complete a contract since costs also include expected increases in wages, prices for materials and allocated fixed costs. Similarly, assumptions are made regarding the future impact of our efficiency initiatives and cost reduction efforts. Incentives, awards or penalties related to performance on contracts are considered in estimating revenue and profit rates and are recorded when there is sufficient information to assess anticipated performance. Suppliers' assertions are also assessed and considered in estimating costs and profit rates.

        Because of the significance of the judgment and estimation processes described above, it is possible that materially different amounts could be obtained if different assumptions were used or if the underlying circumstances were to change. Changes in underlying assumptions, circumstances or estimates may have a material adverse effect upon the profitability of one or more of the affected contracts, future period financial reporting and performance.

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

        Federal and state income tax laws impose restrictions on the utilization of net operating loss ("NOL") and tax credit carryforwards in the event that an "ownership change" occurs for tax purposes, as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. We believe we underwent an ownership change in March 2010 that limited the Company's federal annual utilization of NOL carryforwards. If the entire limitation amount is not utilized in a year, the excess can be carried forward and utilized in future years. For the year ended December 27, 2015, there was no impact of such limitations on the income tax provision since the amount of taxable income did not exceed the cumulative annual limitation amount. In addition, future equity offerings or acquisitions that have equity as a component of the purchase price could also cause an "ownership change." If and when any other "ownership change" occurs, utilization of the NOL or other tax attributes may be further limited.

Risks Related to Our Operations

We may need additional capital to fund the growth of our business, and financing may not be available on favorable terms or at all.

        We currently anticipate that our available capital resources, including our Credit Agreement and operating cash flow, taken together with the proceeds from this offering, will be sufficient to meet our expected working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, these resources may not be sufficient to fund the long-term growth of our business. If we determine that it is necessary to raise additional funds, either through an expansion or refinancing of our agreement or through public or private debt or additional equity financings, additional financing may not be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. Disruptions in the capital and credit markets may continue indefinitely or intensify, which could adversely affect our ability to access these markets. Limitations on our borrowing base contained in our Credit Agreement may limit our access to capital, and we could fall out of compliance with financial and other covenants contained in our Credit Agreement which, if not waived, would restrict our access to capital and could require us to pay down any then existing debt under the Credit Agreement. Our lenders may not agree to extend additional or

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continuing credit under our Credit Agreement or waive restrictions on our access to capital. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to take advantage of available opportunities, develop new products or otherwise respond to competitive pressures and our business, operating results or financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Past acquisitions and future acquisitions could prove difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value and strain our resources.

        We have in the past and may, in the future, acquire additional businesses that we believe could complement or expand our business or increase our customer base. Integrating the operations of acquired businesses successfully or otherwise realizing any of the anticipated benefits of acquisitions, including anticipated cost savings and additional revenue opportunities, involves a number of potential challenges. The failure to meet these integration challenges could seriously harm our financial condition and results of operations. Realizing the benefits of acquisitions depends in part on the integration of operations and personnel. These integration activities are complex and time-consuming, and we may encounter unexpected difficulties or incur unexpected costs, including:

•

our inability to achieve the operating synergies anticipated in the acquisitions;



•

diversion of management attention from ongoing business concerns to integration matters;



•

difficulties in consolidating and rationalizing IT platforms and administrative infrastructures;



•

complexities associated with managing the geographic separation of the combined businesses and consolidating multiple physical locations where management may determine consolidation is desirable;



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difficulties in integrating personnel from different corporate cultures while maintaining focus on providing consistent, high quality customer service;



•

difficulties or delays in transitioning U.S. Government contracts pursuant to federal acquisition regulations;



•

challenges in demonstrating to customers of Kratos and to customers of acquired businesses that the acquisition will not result in adverse changes in customer service standards or business focus;



•

possible cash flow interruption or loss of revenue as a result of change of ownership transitional matters; and



•

inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset acquisition costs.

        Acquired businesses may have liabilities or adverse operating issues that we fail to discover through due diligence prior to the acquisition. In particular, to the extent that prior owners of any acquired businesses or properties failed to comply with or otherwise violated applicable laws or regulations, or failed to fulfill their contractual obligations to the U.S. Government or other customers, we, as the successor owner, may be financially responsible for these violations and failures and may suffer reputational harm or otherwise be adversely affected. Acquisitions also frequently result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets that are subject to potential impairment in the future that could harm our financial results. In addition, if we finance acquisitions by issuing debt or equity securities, our existing stockholders may be diluted, which could affect the market price of our stock. Acquisitions and/or the related equity financings could also impact our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards. As a result, if we fail to properly evaluate acquisitions or investments, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any such acquisitions, and we may incur costs in excess of what we anticipate. Acquisitions frequently involve benefits related to integration of operations. The failure to

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successfully integrate the operations or otherwise to realize any of the anticipated benefits of the acquisition could seriously harm our results of operations.

If we are unable to manage our growth, our business and financial results could suffer.

        Sustaining our growth has placed significant demands on our management, as well as on our administrative, operational and financial resources. For us to continue to manage our growth, we must continue to improve our operational, financial and management information systems and expand, motivate and manage our workforce. Additionally, our future financial results depend in part on our ability to profitably manage our growth on a combined basis with the businesses we have acquired and those we may acquire in the future. If we are unable to manage our growth while maintaining our quality of service and profit margins, or if new systems that we implement to assist in managing our growth do not produce the expected benefits, our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results could be adversely affected.

The loss of any member of our senior management could impair our relationships with U.S. Government customers and disrupt the management of our business.

        We believe that the success of our business and our ability to operate profitably depends on the continued contributions of the members of our senior management. We rely on our senior management to generate business and execute programs successfully. In addition, the relationships and reputation that many members of our senior management team have established and maintain with U.S. Government personnel contribute to our ability to maintain strong customer relationships and to identify new business opportunities. The loss of any member of our senior management could impair our ability to identify and secure new contracts, to maintain good customer relations and to otherwise manage our business.

If we fail to attract and retain skilled employees or employees with the necessary national security clearances, we might not be able to perform under our contracts or win new business.

        The growth of our business and revenue depends in large part upon our ability to attract and retain sufficient numbers of highly qualified individuals who have advanced IT and/or engineering skills. These employees are in great demand and are likely to remain a limited resource in the foreseeable future. In addition, certain U.S. Government contracts require us, and some of our employees, to maintain national security clearances. Obtaining and maintaining national security clearances for employees involves a lengthy process, and it is difficult to identify, recruit and retain employees who already hold national security clearances. Further, some of our contracts contain provisions requiring us to staff an engagement with personnel that the customer considers key to our successful performance under the contract. In the event we are unable to provide these key personnel or acceptable substitutions, the customer may terminate the contract. As a result, if we are unable to recruit and retain a sufficient number of qualified employees, we may lose revenue and our ability to maintain and grow our business could be limited.

        Moreover, in a tight labor market our direct labor costs could increase or we may be required to engage large numbers of subcontractor personnel, which could cause our profit margins to suffer. Conversely, if we maintain or increase our staffing levels in anticipation of one or more projects and the projects are delayed, reduced or terminated, we may underutilize the additional personnel, which would increase our general and administrative expenses, reduce our earnings and possibly harm our results of operations.

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We are subject to the requirements of the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual for our facility security clearance, which is a prerequisite to our ability to perform on classified contracts for the U.S. Government.

        A facility security clearance is required for a company to perform on classified contracts for the DoD and certain other agencies of the U.S. Government. Security clearances are subject to regulations and requirements including the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual ("NISPOM"), which specifies the requirements for the protection of classified information released or disclosed in connection with classified U.S. Government contracts.

        We require certain facility and personnel security clearances to perform our classified U.S. Government related business. As such, we must comply with the requirements of the NISPOM and any other applicable U.S. Government industrial security regulations. If we were to violate the terms and requirements of the NISPOM or any other applicable U.S. Government industrial security regulations (which apply to us under the terms of classified contracts), any of our cleared facilities could lose its facility security clearance. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain our facility security clearances. If for some reason one or more of our facility security clearances is invalidated or terminated, we would not be able to continue to perform on classified contracts at that facility and would not be able to enter into new classified contracts, which could adversely affect our revenues. Failure to comply with the NISPOM or other security requirements may subject us to civil or criminal penalties, loss of access to classified information, loss of a U.S. Government contract, or potentially debarment as a government contractor.

We may be unable to realize any benefit from our cost reduction and restructuring efforts and our profitability may be hurt or our business otherwise might be adversely affected.

        We have engaged in cost reduction and restructuring activities in the past, including the recent dispositions of the U.S. and U.K. operations of our Electronic Products Division and the Herley Entities and the closure of our manufacturing facility in South Carolina, and we may engage in other cost reduction restructuring activities in the future. These types of cost reduction and restructuring activities are complex. If we do not successfully manage our current cost reduction and restructuring activities, or any other cost reduction and restructuring activities that we may take in the future, any expected efficiencies and benefits might be delayed or not realized, and our operations and business could be disrupted. In addition, the costs associated with implementing cost reduction and restructuring activities might exceed expectations, which could result in additional future charges.

Risks Related to Our International Operations

Revenues derived from our international business could be subject to global economic downturn and hardship.

        Our international business represents 11% of our total revenue, which may be impacted by changes in foreign national priorities and government budgets and may be further impacted by global economic conditions and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Continued international economic uncertainty and reductions in consumer spending may result in reductions in our revenue. Additionally, disruptions in international credit markets may materially limit consumer credit availability and restrict credit availability of our customers. Any reduction in international sales of our solutions resulting from reductions in consumer spending or continued disruption in the availability of credit to retailers or consumers, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Our international business exposes us to additional risks.

        Our operations outside of the U.S. are subject to risks that are inherent in conducting business under non-U.S. laws, regulations and customs, including those related to:

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foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, potentially reducing the U.S. dollars we receive for sales denominated in foreign currency;



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the possibility that unfriendly nations or groups could boycott our solutions;



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political conditions in the markets in which we operate;



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potential increased costs associated with overlapping tax structures;



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import-export control;



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more limited protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;



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difficulties and costs associated with staffing and managing foreign operations;



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unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;



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the difficulties of compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws and regulations;



•

longer accounts receivable cycles in certain foreign countries, whether due to cultural differences, exchange rate fluctuation or other factors;



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technology transfer restrictions;



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changes to our distribution networks; and



•

our employees.

        These risks, individually or in the aggregate, could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. For example, we are subject to compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery laws, which generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. While our employees and agents are required to comply with these laws, we cannot be sure that our internal policies and procedures will always protect us from violations of these laws, despite our commitment to legal compliance and corporate ethics. The occurrence or allegation of these types of risks may adversely affect our business, performance, prospects, value, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, our international contracts may include industrial cooperation agreements requiring specific in-country purchases, investments, manufacturing agreements or other financial obligations, known as offset obligations, and provide for penalties if we fail to meet such requirements. The impact of these factors is difficult to predict, but one or more of them could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

        Violations of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR") or other applicable trade compliance regulations could result in significant sanctions including fines, more onerous compliance requirements and debarments from export privileges or loss of authorizations needed to conduct aspects of our international business. A violation of ITAR or other applicable trade regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Outstanding Indebtedness

We have substantial indebtedness, which could adversely affect our cash flow, financial condition and business.

        As of September 25, 2016, we had approximately $446.0 million of total indebtedness outstanding, which includes $2.7 million of unamortized original issue discount and $3.3 million of unamortized debt

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issuance costs. As a result of this indebtedness, our interest payment obligations are significant. The degree to which we are leveraged could have adverse effects on our business, including the following:

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it may limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industries in which we operate;



•

it may require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes;



•

it may restrict us from making strategic acquisitions or exploiting business opportunities;



•

it may place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt;



•

it may limit our ability to borrow additional funds;



•

it may prevent us from raising the funds necessary to repurchase our outstanding Notes tendered to us if there is a change of control, which would constitute a default under the Indenture dated May 14, 2014 ("Indenture"), among the Company, certain of the Company's 100% owned domestic subsidiaries, and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as Trustee and Collateral Agent, governing such Notes and under our Credit Agreement; and



•

it may decrease our ability to compete effectively or operate successfully under adverse economic and industry conditions.

        Our high level of indebtedness increases the risk that we may default on our debt obligations. We may be unable to generate sufficient cash flow to pay the interest on our debt. If we are unable to service our indebtedness, we will be forced to adopt an alternative strategy that may include actions such as reducing capital expenditures, reducing internal investments in research and development efforts, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness or seeking additional equity capital. These alternative strategies may not be affected on satisfactory terms, if at all, and they may not yield sufficient funds to make required payments on our indebtedness.

        If, for any reason, we are unable to meet our debt service and repayment obligations, we would be in default under the terms of the agreements governing our debt, which would allow our creditors at that time to declare certain outstanding indebtedness to be due and payable, which would in turn trigger cross-acceleration or cross-default rights between the relevant agreements. In addition, our lenders could compel us to apply all of our available cash to repay our borrowings or they could prevent us from making payments on our indebtedness. If the amounts outstanding under any of our indebtedness were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full the money owed to the lenders or to our other debt holders.

We and our subsidiaries may incur more debt, which may increase the risks associated with our substantial leverage, including our ability to service our indebtedness.

        The agreements governing our debt permit us, under some circumstances, to incur certain additional indebtedness or obligations. To the extent that we incur additional indebtedness or such other obligations, the risks associated with our substantial leverage described above, including our possible inability to service our debt would increase.

Changes in our credit ratings or macroeconomic conditions may affect our liquidity, increasing borrowing costs and limiting our financing options.

        Macroeconomic conditions, such as increased volatility or disruption in the credit markets, could adversely affect our ability to refinance existing debt or obtain additional financing at terms satisfactory to us, thereby affecting our resources to support operations or to fund new initiatives. In addition, if

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our credit ratings are lowered, borrowing costs for future long-term debt or short-term credit facilities may increase and our financing options, including our access to the unsecured credit market, could be limited. We may also be subject to restrictive covenants that would reduce our flexibility.

A portion of our business is conducted through foreign subsidiaries, and the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from these subsidiaries, or otherwise repatriate or receive cash from these subsidiaries, could result in our inability to repay our indebtedness.

        As of September 25, 2016, approximately 12% of our consolidated assets, based on book value, and 11% of our consolidated revenues for the nine months ended September 25, 2016, were held by foreign subsidiaries, which do not guarantee the Notes. Our ability to meet our debt service obligations with cash from foreign subsidiaries will depend upon the results of operations of these subsidiaries and may be subject to legal, contractual or other restrictions and other business considerations. In addition, dividend and interest payments to us from the foreign subsidiaries may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, which would reduce the amount of funds we receive from such foreign subsidiaries. Dividends and other distributions from our foreign subsidiaries may also be subject to fluctuations in currency exchange rates and legal and other restrictions on repatriation, which could further reduce the amount of funds we receive from such foreign subsidiaries.

        In general, when an entity in a foreign jurisdiction repatriates cash to the U.S., the amount of such cash is treated as a dividend taxable at current U.S. tax rates. Accordingly, upon the distribution of cash to us from our foreign subsidiaries, we will be subject to U.S. income taxes. Although foreign tax credits may be available to reduce the amount of the additional tax liability, these credits may be limited and only offset the tax paid in the foreign jurisdiction, not the excess of the U.S. tax rate over the foreign tax rate. Therefore, to the extent that we must use cash generated in foreign jurisdictions to make principal or interest payments on our debt, there may be a cost associated with repatriating the cash to the U.S.

The agreements governing our debt impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and our subsidiaries that may prevent us and our subsidiaries from pursuing certain business opportunities and restrict our ability to operate our business.

        The Indenture and the Credit Agreement subject us, and our subsidiaries, to several financial and other restrictive covenants, including limitations on liens or indebtedness, payment of dividends, transactions with affiliates, and mergers, sales or other dispositions of our assets.

        Our Credit Agreement also requires us to comply with specified financial ratios, including a borrowing base availability and minimum fixed charge coverage ratio which is required to be maintained if borrowing levels, as defined, under the Credit Agreement, occur under the line of credit. Many factors, including events beyond our control, may affect our ability to comply with these covenants and financial ratios. We cannot be sure we will meet our debt-related obligations or that lenders will waive any failure to meet those obligations. Any failure to meet those debt-related obligations could result in an event of default under our other indebtedness and the acceleration of such indebtedness.

        The restrictions contained in the Indenture and in our Credit Agreement could also limit the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to plan for or react to market conditions, meet capital needs or otherwise restrict their activities or business plans and adversely affect the ability to finance their operations, enter into acquisitions or to engage in other business activities that would be in their interest.

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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

We may be unable to protect our intellectual property rights.

        We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and nondisclosure agreements to protect our proprietary intellectual property. Our efforts to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights may not be sufficient. We cannot be sure that our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents to us, that patents issued to or licensed by us in the past or in the future will not be challenged or circumvented by competitors or that these patents will remain valid or sufficiently broad to preclude our competitors from introducing technologies similar to those covered by our patents and patent applications. In addition, our ability to enforce and protect our intellectual property rights may be limited in certain countries outside the U.S., which could make it easier for competitors to capture market position in such countries by utilizing technologies that are similar to those developed or licensed by us. Competitors also may harm our sales by designing products that mirror the capabilities of our products or technology without infringing on our intellectual property rights. If we do not obtain sufficient protection for our intellectual property, or if we are unable to effectively enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitiveness could be impaired, which would limit our growth and future revenue.

We may be harmed by intellectual property infringement claims.

        We may become subject to claims from our employees or third parties who assert that software and other forms of intellectual property that we use in delivering services and solutions to our customers infringe upon intellectual property rights of such employees or third parties. Our employees develop some of the software and other forms of intellectual property that we use to provide our services and solutions to our customers, but we also license technology from other vendors. If our employees, vendors, or other third parties assert claims that we or our customers are infringing on their intellectual property rights, we could incur substantial costs to defend those claims. If any such infringement claims were ultimately successful, we could be required to cease selling or using products or services that incorporate the challenged software or technology, obtain a license or additional licenses from our employees, vendors, or other third parties, or redesign our products and services that rely on the challenged software or technology.

Disclosure of trade secrets could cause harm to our business

        We attempt to protect our trade secrets by entering into confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements with third parties, our employees and consultants. However, these agreements can be breached and, if they are, there may not be an adequate remedy available to us. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information, and in such cases we could not assert any trade secret rights against such party. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally obtained and is using our trade secret is difficult, expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, our competitors could market services or products similar to our services and products, which could reduce demand for our offerings. Any litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources, with no assurance of success.

Risks Related to Regulatory, Environmental and Legal Issues

Our failure to comply with complex procurement laws and regulations could cause us to lose business and subject us to a variety of penalties.

        We must comply with laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of U.S. Government contracts, which affect how we do business with our customers, prime

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contractors, subcontractors and vendors and may impose added costs on us. New regulations or procurement requirements (including, for example regulations regarding counterfeit and corrupt parts, supply chain diligence and cyber security) or changes to current requirements could increase our costs and risk of non-compliance. Our role as a contractor to agencies and departments of the U.S. Government results in our being routinely subject to investigations and reviews relating to compliance with various laws and regulations, including those associated with organizational conflicts of interest, procurement integrity, bid integrity and claim presentation, among others. These investigations may be conducted without our knowledge. Adverse findings in these investigations or reviews can lead to criminal, civil or administrative proceedings, and we could face civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or debarment from doing business with U.S. Government agencies. In addition, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation and competitive position if allegations of impropriety were made against us, whether or not true. If our reputation or relationship with U.S. Government agencies were impaired, or if the U.S. Government otherwise ceased doing business with us or significantly decreased the amount of business it does with us, our revenue and operating profit would decline.

Our contracts and administrative processes and systems are subject to audits and cost adjustments by the U.S. Government, which could reduce our revenue, disrupt our business or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations.

        U.S. Government agencies, including the Defense Contract Audit Agency ("DCAA"), routinely audit and investigate government contracts and government contractors' administrative processes and systems. These agencies review our performance on contracts, pricing practices, cost structure and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. They also review the adequacy of our compliance with government standards for our accounting and management of internal control systems, including our: control environment and overall accounting system, general IT system, budget and planning system, purchasing system, material management and accounting system, compensation system, labor system, indirect and other direct costs system, and billing system and estimating system used for pricing on government contracts. Both contractors and the U.S. Government agencies conducting these audits and reviews have come under increased scrutiny. The current audits and reviews have become more rigorous, and the standards to which contractors are being held are being more strictly interpreted, increasing the likelihood of an audit or review resulting in an adverse outcome. During the course of its current audits, the DCAA is closely examining and questioning several of our established and disclosed practices that it had previously audited and accepted, increasing the uncertainty as to the ultimate conclusion that will be reached.

        A finding of significant control deficiencies in our system audits or other reviews can result in decremented billing rates to our U.S. Government customers until the control deficiencies are corrected and our corrections are accepted by Defense Contract Management Agency. Government audits and reviews may conclude that our practices are not consistent with applicable laws and regulations and result in adjustments to contract costs and mandatory customer refunds. Such adjustments can be applied retroactively, which could result in significant customer refunds. Our receipt of adverse audit findings or the failure to obtain an "approved" determination of our various accounting and management internal control systems, including our changes to indirect cost and direct labor estimating systems, from the responsible U.S. Government agency could significantly and adversely affect our business, including our ability to bid on new contracts and our competitive position in the bidding process. A determination of non-compliance with applicable contracting and procurement laws, regulations and standards could also result in the U.S. Government imposing penalties and sanctions against us, including withholding of payments, suspension of payments and increased government scrutiny that could delay or adversely affect our ability to invoice and receive timely payment on contracts, perform contracts or compete for contracts with the U.S. Government.

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        We have submitted incurred cost claims through 2014. The actual indirect cost audits by the DCAA have been completed for our subsidiaries for fiscal 2010. Although we have recorded contract revenues subsequent to fiscal 2010 based upon costs that we believe will be approved upon final audit or review, we do not know the outcome of any ongoing or future audits or reviews and, if future adjustments exceed our estimates, our profitability would be adversely affected.

Our employees or others acting on our behalf may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, which could cause us to lose contracts.

        We are exposed to the risk that employee fraud or other misconduct from our employees or others acting on our behalf could occur. Misconduct by employees or others could include intentional failures to comply with U.S. Government procurement regulations, engaging in unauthorized activities or falsifying time records. Misconduct by our employees or others acting on our behalf could also involve the improper use of our customers' sensitive or classified information, which could result in regulatory sanctions against us, serious harm to our reputation, a loss of contracts and a reduction in revenues. It is not always possible to deter misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses, which could cause us to lose contracts or cause a reduction in revenues. In addition, alleged or actual misconduct by employees or others acting on our behalf could result in investigations or prosecutions of persons engaged in the subject activities, which could result in unanticipated consequences or expenses and management distraction for us regardless of whether we are alleged to have any responsibility.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

        Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports, our operating results could be misstated, our reputation may be harmed and the trading price of our stock could be negatively affected. Our management has concluded that there are no material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting as of September 25, 2016. However, although we continue to devote substantial time and resources to the documentation and testing of our controls, there can be no assurance that our controls over financial processes and reporting will be effective in the future or that material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal controls will not be discovered in the future. Any failure to remediate any future material weaknesses or implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could harm our operating results, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or result in material misstatements in our Consolidated Financial Statements or other public disclosures. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.

We are subject to environmental laws and potential exposure to environmental liabilities. This may affect our ability to develop, sell or rent our property or to borrow money where such property is required to be used as collateral.

        We use hazardous materials common to the industries in which we operate. We are required to follow federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations regarding the handling, storage and disposal of these materials, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), and the Toxic Substances Control Act. We could be subject to fines, suspensions of production, alteration of our manufacturing processes or interruption or cessation of our operations if we fail to comply with present or future laws or regulations related to the use, storage, handling, discharge or disposal of toxic, volatile or otherwise hazardous chemicals used in our manufacturing processes. These regulations could require us to acquire expensive remediation

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equipment or to incur significant other expenses to comply with environmental regulations. Our failure to control the handling, use, storage or disposal of, or adequately restrict the discharge of, hazardous substances could subject us to liabilities and production delays, which could cause us to miss our customers' delivery schedules, thereby reducing our sales for a given period. We may also have to pay regulatory fines, penalties or other costs (including remediation costs), which could materially reduce our profits and adversely affect our financial condition. Permits are required for our operations, and these permits are subject to renewal, modification and, in some cases, revocation.

        In addition, under environmental laws, ordinances or regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of property may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of some kinds of petroleum products or other hazardous substances on, under, or in its property, adjacent or nearby property, or offsite disposal locations, without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or caused, the presence of the contaminants, and regardless of whether the practices that resulted in the contamination were legal at the time they occurred. We have incurred, and may incur in the future, liabilities under CERCLA and other environmental laws at our current or former facilities, adjacent or nearby properties or offsite disposal locations. The costs associated with future cleanup activities that we may be required to conduct or finance may be material. The presence of, or failure to remediate properly, hazardous substances may adversely affect the ability to sell or rent the property or to borrow funds using the property as collateral. Additionally, we may become subject to claims by third parties based on damages, including personal injury and property damage, and costs resulting from the disposal or release of hazardous substances into the environment.

Regulations related to "conflict minerals" may cause us to incur additional expenses and could limit the supply and increase the cost of certain metals used in manufacturing our products.

        We are subject to regulations requiring disclosures of specified minerals, known as conflict minerals, that are necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured or contracted to be manufactured by public companies. The rule requires companies to perform due diligence, disclose and report whether or not such minerals originate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or an adjoining country. The rule can affect sourcing at competitive prices and availability in sufficient quantities of certain minerals used in the manufacture of our products, including tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten. The number of suppliers who provide conflict-free minerals is limited. In addition, there are costs associated with complying with the disclosure requirements, such as costs related to determining the source of certain minerals used in our products, as well as costs of changes to products, processes, or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. Since our supply chain is complex, we are not always able to sufficiently verify the origins of the relevant minerals used in our products through the due diligence procedures we implemented, which may harm our reputation. In addition, we may encounter challenges to satisfy those customers who require that all of the components of our products be certified as conflict-free, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage if we are unable to do so.

Litigation may distract us from operating our business.

        Litigation that may be brought by or against us could cause us to incur significant expenditures and distract our management from the operation of our business. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we would prevail in such litigation or resolve such litigation on terms favorable to us, which may adversely affect our financial results and operations. See Note 14 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained within our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2015 for a further discussion of our legal proceedings.

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Natural disasters or severe weather conditions could disrupt our business and result in loss of revenue or higher expenses.

        Our business depends on maintaining operations at our facilities and being able to operate at our customer facilities and project locations. A serious, prolonged interruption or damage due to power outage, telecommunications outage, terrorist attack, earthquake, hurricane, fire, flood or other natural disaster, or other interruption could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. While we insure against certain business interruption risks, such insurance may not adequately compensate us for any losses incurred as a result of natural or other disasters.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Some of our contracts with the U.S. Government are classified, which may limit investor insight into portions of our business.

        We derive a portion of our revenues from programs with the U.S. Government that are subject to security restrictions (classified programs) that preclude the dissemination of information that is classified for national security purposes. We are limited in our ability to provide details about these classified programs, their risks or any disputes or claims relating to such programs. As a result, investors and others might have less insight into our classified programs than our other businesses and, therefore, less ability to fully evaluate the risks related to our classified business.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile.

        The price of our stock has been in the past, and will continue to be, subject to fluctuations as a result of a number of factors, including: our operating results fail to meet market or analysts' expectations; general fluctuations in the stock market; actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results based on reduced and/or delayed government spending or the threat thereof; fluctuations in the stock prices of companies in our industry; changes in earnings estimated by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates; and domestic and foreign economic conditions. Such volatility has had a significant effect on the market prices of many companies' securities for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and, in the past, has led to securities class action litigation. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management's attention and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our business.

Your percentage of ownership in us may be diluted in the future.

        As with any publicly traded company, your percentage ownership in us may be diluted in the future because of equity issuances for acquisitions, capital market transactions or otherwise, including equity awards that we expect will be granted to our directors, officers and employees.

Certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and second amended and restated bylaws, as amended, and of Delaware law, may prevent or delay an acquisition of our company, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our second amended and restated bylaws, as amended, and Delaware law contain provisions that are intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids by making such practices or bids unacceptably expensive to the raider and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors rather than to attempt a hostile takeover. These provisions include, among others:

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the inability of our stockholders to call a special meeting;



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rules regarding how stockholders may present proposals or nominate directors for election at stockholder meetings;

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•

the right of our board to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval;



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a super-majority requirement to amend our certificate of incorporation or bylaws; and



•

the ability of our directors, and not stockholders, to fill vacancies on our board of directors.

        Delaware law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock.

        We believe these provisions may help protect our stockholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors and by providing our board of directors with more time to assess any acquisition proposal. These provisions are not intended to make our company immune from takeovers. In addition, although we believe these provisions collectively provide for an opportunity to receive higher bids by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board, they would apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders. These provisions may also frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management team by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.

Risks Related to Investments in our Securities

We may allocate the net proceeds from this offering in ways that you and other stockholders may not approve.

        We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including funding our expected growth and strategic investments in new unmanned systems and other programs. In addition, we intend to reduce our overall indebtedness to achieve our stated long-term strategy. In general, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the net proceeds in ways that do not necessarily improve our operating results or enhance the value of our common stock.

Our stock price may be volatile, and your investment in our stock could suffer a decline in value.

        Factors which could have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock include, but are not limited to, the following:

•

quarterly variations in operating results;



•

announcements of new services by us or our competitors;



•

the gain or loss of significant customers;



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changes in analysts' earnings estimates;



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rumors or dissemination of false information;



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pricing pressures;



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short selling of our common stock;



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litigation and government inquiries;



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general conditions in the market;



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political and/or military events associated with current worldwide conflicts; and



•

events affecting other companies that investors deem comparable to us.

        These and other external factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of

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common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. Volatility in the market price of our common stock could also subject us to securities class action litigation.

Future sales of our common stock could cause the market price for our common stock to decline.

        We cannot predict the effect, if any, that market sales of shares of our common stock or the availability of shares of our common stock for sale will have on the market price of our common stock prevailing from time to time. Sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that those sales will occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline or be depressed.

        The shares of common stock issued in connection with this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act.

        We and our directors and executive officers have agreed to a "lock-up", pursuant to which neither we nor they will sell any shares without the prior consent of Canaccord Genuity Inc. and B. Riley & Co., LLC for 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, subject to certain exceptions and extensions under certain circumstances. Following the expiration of the applicable lock-up period, all these shares of our common stock will also be eligible for future sale.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our future financial performance, the growth of the market for our services, expansion plans and opportunities and statements regarding our intended uses of the proceeds of the securities offered hereby. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology.

        The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement reflect our current views about future events, are based on assumptions, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Many important factors could cause actual results or achievements to differ materially from any future results or achievements expressed in or implied by our forward-looking statements, including the factors listed below. Many of the factors that will determine future events or achievements are beyond our ability to control or predict. Certain of these are important factors that could cause actual results or achievements to differ materially from the results or achievements reflected in our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to:

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our high level of indebtedness;



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our ability to make interest and principal payments on our debt and satisfy the other covenants contained in the Indenture that governs the Notes, the Credit Agreement and other debt agreements;



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general economic conditions and inflation, interest rate movements and access to capital;



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changes or cutbacks in spending or the appropriation of funding by the U.S. Government;



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changes in the scope or timing of our projects;



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our ability to realize the benefits of our acquisitions, including our ability to achieve anticipated opportunities and operating synergies, and accretion to reported earnings estimated to result from acquisitions in the time frame expected by management or at all;



•

our revenue projections; and



•

the effect of competition.

        The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement reflect our views and assumptions only as of the date of this prospectus supplement. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no responsibility for updating any forward-looking statements nor do we intend to do so. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. The risks included in this section are not exhaustive. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" beginning on page S-12.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

        We expect the net proceeds from this offering to be approximately $             million (or $             million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, as described in "Underwriting," and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including funding our expected growth and strategic investments in our high performance unmanned aerial vehicle business area and other new programs under contract and reducing overall Company indebtedness in order to facilitate our long-term strategy. The Company's outstanding indebtedness includes the Notes, which mature in 2019 and bear interest at 7%. As of September 25, 2016, there was $450.0 million in Notes outstanding.

        Our board of directors has approved that the Company repurchase up to $     million of Notes from time to time, subject to compliance with applicable laws and existing covenant restrictions under the Credit Agreement.

        As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses of the proceeds from this offering. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of such proceeds. Pending the use of the net proceeds from this offering as described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds in short-term, investment-grade securities.

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MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS

        The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock by a non-U.S. holder (as defined below) as of the date hereof. This summary deals only with non-U.S. holders that acquire our common stock in this offering and hold the common stock as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code").

        For purposes of this summary, a "non-U.S. holder" means a beneficial owner of our common stock that is not a partnership and is not any of the following for U.S. federal income tax purposes: (i) an individual citizen or resident of the U.S., (ii) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation) created or organized in or under the laws of the U.S., any state thereof, or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source, or (iv) a trust if (1) its administration is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the U.S. and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of its substantial decisions, or (2) it has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

        This summary is based upon provisions of the Code and regulations, rulings and judicial decisions as of the date hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively, or be subject to differing interpretations, so as to result in U.S. federal tax considerations different from those summarized below. This summary does not represent a detailed description of the U.S. federal tax considerations to you in light of your particular circumstances. In addition, it does not address the U.S. federal tax considerations to you if you are subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal tax laws (including if you are a bank or other financial institution, insurance company, broker or dealer in securities, tax-exempt organization, foreign government or agency, U.S. expatriate, "controlled foreign corporation," "passive foreign investment company," or a person who holds our common stock in a straddle or as part of a hedging, conversion or constructive sale transaction). Except where noted, this summary does not address any non-income federal tax consequences, such as estate or gift tax consequences, nor does it address any state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations. We cannot assure you that a change in law will not alter significantly the tax considerations that we describe in this summary.

        If an entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partnership holding our common stock, or a partner in such a partnership, you should consult your tax advisors.

        If you are considering the purchase of our common stock, you should consult your own tax advisors concerning the particular U.S. federal tax consequences to you of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the common stock, as well as the consequences to you arising under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction, including any state, local or foreign tax consequences.

Dividends

        We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. If we were to pay cash dividends in the future on our common stock, they would be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the manner described below.

        Cash distributions on our common stock generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will be applied against and reduce a non-U.S. holder's tax basis in our common stock, to

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the extent thereof, and any excess will be treated as capital gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock and subject to tax in the manner described below under "—Gain on Disposition of Common Stock."

        Distributions paid to a non-U.S. holder of our common stock that constitute dividends under the rules described above generally will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. However, dividends that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by a non-U.S. holder within the U.S. and, where an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the non-U.S. holder, are not subject to this withholding tax, but instead are subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at applicable individual or corporate rates. Certain certification and disclosure requirements must be complied with in order for effectively connected dividends to be exempt from this withholding tax. Any such effectively connected dividends received by a foreign corporation may be subject to an additional "branch profits tax" at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty.

        A non-U.S. holder of our common stock who is entitled to and wishes to claim the benefits of an applicable treaty rate (and avoid backup withholding as discussed below) with respect to dividends received on our common stock, generally will be required to (i) complete IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or an acceptable substitute form) and make certain certifications, under penalty of perjury, to establish its status as a non-U.S. person and its entitlement to treaty benefits or (ii) if the common stock is held through certain foreign intermediaries, satisfy the relevant certification requirements of applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. Special certification and other requirements apply to certain non-U.S. holders that are entities rather than individuals.

        A non-U.S. holder of our common stock eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.

Gain on Disposition of Common Stock

        Subject to the discussions below on backup withholding and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to gain recognized on a sale or other disposition of our common stock unless (i) the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business of the non-U.S. holder in the U.S. and, where a tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the non-U.S. holder (in which case, for a non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation, the branch profits tax described above may also apply), (ii) in the case of a non-U.S. holder who is an individual, such holder is present in the U.S. for 183 or more days in the taxable year of the sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met, or (iii) subject to certain exceptions, we are or have been a "U.S. real property holding corporation" for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

        In the case of a non-U.S. holder described in subsection (i) above, any net gain derived from the disposition generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax under graduated U.S. federal income tax rates on a net income basis in generally the same manner as if the non-U.S. holder were a U.S. person as defined under the Code, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. Additionally, a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may be subject to a branch profits tax equal to 30% of its effectively connected earnings and profits attributable to such gain (or, if an income tax treaty applies, at such lower rate as may be specified by the treaty on its gains attributable to its U.S. permanent establishment), subject to adjustments. Except as otherwise provided by an applicable income tax treaty, an individual non-U.S. holder described in subsection (ii) above will be subject to a 30% tax on any gain derived from the disposition, which may be offset by certain U.S. source capital losses. With

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respect to subsection (iii) above, we believe we currently are not, and do not anticipate becoming, a "U.S. real property holding corporation" for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

        We must report annually to the IRS and to each non-U.S. holder the amount of dividends paid to such holder and the tax withheld (if any) with respect to such dividends, regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reporting such dividends and any withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty. In addition, dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder may be subject to backup withholding unless applicable certification requirements are met.

        Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock within the U.S. or conducted through certain U.S. related financial intermediaries is subject to information reporting and, depending upon the circumstances, backup withholding unless the non-U.S. holder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not a U.S. person (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a U.S. person) or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption.

        Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against such holder's U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

        Legislation commonly referred to as FATCA, will generally impose a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax on any "withholdable payment" (as defined below) paid to (i) a "foreign financial institution" (as specifically defined in the legislation), whether such foreign financial institution is the beneficial owner or an intermediary, unless such foreign financial institution agrees to verify, report and disclose its U.S. "account" holders (as specifically defined in the legislation) and meets certain other specified requirements, or (ii) a non-financial foreign entity, whether such non-financial foreign entity is the beneficial owner or an intermediary, unless such entity provides a certification that the beneficial owner of the payment does not have any substantial U.S. owners or provides the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each such substantial U.S. owner and certain other specified requirements are met. In certain cases, the relevant foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity may qualify for an exemption from, or be deemed to be in compliance with, these rules. Under final regulations and other current guidance, "withholdable payments" generally include dividends on shares of common stock, and will include the gross proceeds of a disposition of shares of common stock on or after January 1, 2019. Investors are urged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of these rules to their investment in our common stock.

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UNDERWRITING

        Under the terms and subject to the conditions to be set forth in an underwriting agreement by and between us and Canaccord Genuity Inc. and B. Riley & Co., LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters and the underwriters have severally agreed to purchase from us, the number of shares indicated in the following table:

        The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriters of officers' certificates and legal opinions. The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters will purchase all of the shares if any of them are purchased. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and certain of their controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

        The underwriters are offering the shares subject to their acceptance of the shares from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Option to Purchase Additional Shares

        We have granted the underwriters an option, exercisable no later than 30 calendar days after the date of the underwriting agreement, to purchase up to an aggregate of            additional shares of our common stock at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and as indicated below. We will be obligated to sell these shares of our common stock to the underwriters to the extent the over-allotment option is exercised. The underwriters may exercise this option only to cover over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the sale of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement.

Commission and Expenses

        The underwriters have advised us that they propose to offer our common stock directly to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to certain dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $            per share. After the offering, the initial public offering price and the concession to dealers may be reduced by the underwriters. No such reduction will change the amount of proceeds to be received by us in the offering as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement.

        The following table shows the per share and total underwriting discounts and commissions that we will pay to the underwriters and the proceeds we will receive before expenses. These amounts are

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shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares of our common stock.

        We have also agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain reasonable travel, legal and other out-of-pocket expenses, not to exceed $            . We estimate the total offering expenses of this offering that will be payable by us, excluding the underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $            , which includes legal costs, various other fees and reimbursement of certain of the underwriters' expenses.

No Sales of Similar Securities

        We have agreed, subject to specified exceptions, during the 90 day period after the date of the prospectus supplement, not to directly or indirectly offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock. We have also agreed, during the 90 day period after the date of the prospectus supplement, not to file any registration statement, preliminary prospectus or prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, under the Securities Act for any such transaction or which registers, or offers for sale, our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock, except for registration statements on Form S-8 relating to employee benefit plans and registration statements in connection with strategic transactions.

        Our executive officers and directors have agreed, subject to specified exceptions, during the 90 day period after the date of the prospectus supplement, not to directly or indirectly:

•

offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, any shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock (including, without limitation, shares of our common stock or any such securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by such officers and directors in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act, as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time (such shares or securities, the "Beneficially Owned Shares"));



•

enter into any swap, hedge or other agreement or arrangement that transfers in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of any Beneficially Owned Shares, our common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock; or



•

engage in any short selling of any Beneficially Owned Shares, our common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock.

        Canaccord Genuity Inc. and B. Riley & Co., LLC may, in their sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of the 90-day restricted period, without public notice, release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock-up agreements. There are no existing agreements between the underwriters and us, providing consent to the sale of shares prior to the expiration of the lock-up period.

Listing

        Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "KTOS."

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Price Stabilization and Short Positions

        In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell our common stock in the open market. These transactions may include over-allotment and stabilizing transactions, passive market making and purchases to cover syndicate short positions created in connection with the offering. Until distribution of the shares of our common stock is completed, SEC rules may limit the underwriters from bidding for and purchasing shares of our common stock. However, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize the price of the shares of our common stock, such as bids or purchases to peg, fix or maintain that price. A "stabilizing transaction" is a bid for or the purchase of common stock on behalf of an underwriter in the open market for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the shares of common stock. Stabilizing transactions may cause the price of shares of our common stock to be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market.

        If an underwriter creates a short position in our common stock in connection with the offering (i.e., if it sells more shares of our common stock than are listed on the cover page of this prospectus supplement), the underwriter may reduce that short position by purchasing shares of our common stock in the open market. A "covering transaction" is the bid for or purchase of common stock on behalf of an underwriter to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriter in connection with the offering. The underwriters may also elect to reduce any short position by exercising all or part of the over-allotment option described above. A short position is more likely to be created if an underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase shares in this offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, an underwriter's purchases to cover the short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our shares or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our shares. As a result, the price of our shares may be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market.

        An underwriter also may impose a penalty bid, whereby the underwriter may reclaim selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other broker-dealers in respect of the common stock sold in the offering for their account if the underwriter repurchases the shares in stabilizing or covering transactions. These activities may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the common stock, which may be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market. The imposition of a penalty bid may also affect the price of the shares of our common stock in that it discourages resales of those shares of our common stock.

        In connection with this offering, the underwriters may also engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of shares of our common stock in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker's bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

        Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of shares of our common stock. In addition, neither we nor the underwriters make any representation that the underwriters will engage in these transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Electronic Distribution

        This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may be made available in electronic format on websites or through other online services maintained by the underwriters of the offering, or by their affiliates. Other than this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in

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electronic format, the information on such websites and any information contained in any other website maintained by the underwriters or any of their affiliates is not part of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus form a part, has not been approved or endorsed by us or the underwriters in their capacities as underwriters and should not be relied upon by investors.

Disclaimers About Non-U.S. Jurisdictions

United Kingdom

        The underwriters:

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have only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) ("FSMA")) to persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in which section 21 of FSMA does not apply to us; and



•

have complied with and will comply with all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

Switzerland

        The securities will not be offered, directly or indirectly, to the public in Switzerland and this prospectus does not constitute a public offering prospectus as that term is understood pursuant to article 652a or 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of Obligations.

European Economic Area

        In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (the "EEA") which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a "Relevant Member State"), an offer of our shares may not be made to the public in a Relevant Member State other than:

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to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;



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to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant dealer or dealers nominated by us for any such offer, or;



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in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,

provided that no such offer of our shares shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

        For the purposes of this description, the expression an "offer of our shares to the public" in relation to any of our shares in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the shares, as the expression may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression "Prospectus Directive" means European Union Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended by Directive 2010/73/EU and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.

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        Neither this prospectus supplement nor the accompanying prospectus is a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Directive. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus have been prepared on the basis that any offer of our shares in any Relevant Member State will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of shares. We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on our behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters and their respective affiliates, with a view to the final placement of the securities as contemplated in this document. Accordingly, no purchaser of the shares, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of shares on our behalf or on behalf of the underwriters.

Canada

        The securities may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the securities must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

        Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus supplement or the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

        Pursuant to section 3A.3 (or, in the case of securities issued or guaranteed by the government of a non-Canadian jurisdiction, section 3A.4) of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

Affiliations

        In the ordinary course of business, the underwriters and their affiliates have, and in the future may, provide various investment banking, financial advisory and other services to us for which they have received, and may receive, customary compensation. In the course of their business, the underwriters and their affiliates may actively trade our securities for their own account or for the accounts of customers, and, accordingly the underwriters and their affiliates may at any time hold long or short positions in such securities.

VALIDITY OF SECURITIES

        The validity of the common stock being offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by our counsel, Paul Hastings LLP, San Diego, California, and for the underwriters by the counsel to the underwriters, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, Los Angeles, California.

EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, and the effectiveness of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.'s internal control over financial reporting, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference (which report (i) express an unqualified opinion on

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the consolidated financial statements and include explanatory paragraphs referring to the presentation of discontinued operations and the early adoption of a new accounting standard and (ii) expresses an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting). Such consolidated financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

        We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public reference room. The SEC maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. You may also access our reports and proxy statements free of charge at our website, http://www.kratosdefense.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus supplement. The prospectus included in this filing is part of a registration statement filed by us with the SEC. The full registration statement can be obtained from the SEC, as indicated above, or from us.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

        The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that we have filed separately with the SEC. We hereby incorporate by reference the following information or documents into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus:

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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2015 filed with the SEC on March 11, 2016;



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our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 4, 2016; August 4, 2016; and November 2, 2016;



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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 12, 2016; May 23, 2016; and August 9, 2016; and



•

the description of our Common Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 000-27231), filed under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act on September 3, 1999, including any subsequent amendment or report filed for the purpose of amending such description.

        Any information in any of the foregoing documents will automatically be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that information in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or in a later filed document that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference modifies or replaces such information.

        We also incorporate by reference any future filings (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) made with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, until we sell all of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement. Information in such future filings updates and supplements the information provided in this prospectus supplement. Any statements in any such future filings will automatically be deemed to modify and supersede any information in any document we previously filed with the SEC that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference to the extent that statements in the later filed document modify or replace such earlier statements.

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        Upon written or oral request, we will provide to you, without charge, a copy of any or all of the documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus, including exhibits which are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. Requests should be directed to: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., Attention: Investor Relations, 4820 Eastgate Mall, Suite 200, San Diego, California, 92121, telephone (858) 812-7300.

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PROSPECTUS

$300,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Units

        We may from time to time offer to sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus, either individually or in units, in one or more offerings. The aggregate initial offering price of all securities sold under this prospectus will not exceed $300,000,000.

        This prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide specific terms of the securities offered in a supplement to this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as any documents incorporated by reference herein or therein before you invest in any securities. This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless accompanied by the applicable prospectus supplement.

        Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "KTOS." On August 19, 2014, the last reported sale price for our common stock was $7.79 per share. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market or any securities market or other exchange of the securities, if any, covered by the prospectus supplement.

        Investing in our securities involves risks. See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 6.

        We may sell these securities directly to investors, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled "Plan of Distribution" in this prospectus. If any underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such underwriters and any applicable commissions or discounts will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

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        Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

   

The date of this prospectus is September 17, 2014.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

        This prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, utilizing a "shelf" registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $300,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities under this shelf registration, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in any documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, together with the information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading "Where You Can Find Additional Information."

        You should rely only on the information that we have provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you. We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you. You must not rely upon any information or representation not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, the accompanying prospectus supplement or related free writing prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you.

        This prospectus, the accompanying supplement to this prospectus and any related free writing prospectus, if any, do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus, the accompanying supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus, if any, constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference therein is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is delivered or the applicable securities are sold on a later date.

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RISK FACTORS

        Investment in our securities involves risks. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should consider carefully all of the information included and incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement, including the risk factors incorporated by reference herein from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2013, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2014, as updated by annual, quarterly and other reports and documents we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and that are incorporated by reference herein or in the applicable prospectus supplement. Each of these risk factors could have a material adverse affect on our business, results of operations, financial position or cash flows, which may result in the loss of all or part of your investment.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

        This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on our management's current beliefs, expectations and assumptions about future events, conditions and results and on information currently available to us. Discussions containing these forward-looking statements may be found, among other places, in the Sections entitled "Business," "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" incorporated by reference from our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as any amendments thereto, filed with the SEC.

        All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated herein regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, future revenues, projected costs, plans, prospects and objectives are forward-looking statements. Words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "estimate," "think," "may," "could," "will," "would," "should," "continue," "potential," "likely," "opportunity" and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements. Additionally, statements concerning future matters relating to the market for our services and our expansion plans and opportunities and other statements regarding matters that are not historical are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in our forward-looking statements due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, those set forth below under the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as any amendments thereto filed with the SEC. Given these risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

        Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or developments occurring after the date of this prospectus, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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STATEMENT OF COMPUTATION OF RATIOS

        The following summary is qualified by the more detailed information appearing in the computation table found in Exhibit 12.1 to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and the historical financial statements, including the notes to those financial statements, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

        The following table sets forth our earnings to fixed charges and the dollar amount of the coverage deficiency, if any, for the six month period ended June 29, 2014 and the fiscal years ending December 27, 2009, December 26, 2010, December 25, 2011, December 30, 2012 and December 29, 2013. We have not included a ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends because no preferred dividends are accrued, accruing or payable on our outstanding preference shares.

USE OF PROCEEDS

        Except as described in any applicable prospectus supplement and in any free writing prospectuses in connection with a specific offering, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby for general corporate purposes, including, among other things, working capital requirements and potential repayment of indebtedness that may be outstanding at the time of any offering under this prospectus. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire or invest in businesses, services and technologies that are complementary to our own. Pending these uses, we intend to invest the net proceeds in investment-grade, interest-bearing securities.

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

        We may offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in units, from time to time under this prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplement and related free writing prospectus, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities. We may offer up to $300,000,000 of securities under this prospectus.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

        The following description of our capital stock, together with any additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements or any free writing prospectuses that we may authorize to be delivered to you, summarizes the material terms and provisions of our capital stock that we may offer

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under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future capital stock that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any class or series of these securities in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. For the complete terms of our capital stock, please refer to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our seconded amended and restated bylaws that are incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or may be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. The terms of these securities may also be affected by the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL. The summary below and that contained in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus are qualified in their entirety by reference to our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws.

Common Stock

        We are authorized to issue 195,000,000 shares of common stock, of which 57,746,916 shares were issued and outstanding as of August 1, 2014. The holders of common stock possess exclusive voting rights in us, except to the extent our board of directors specifies voting power with respect to any other class of securities issued in the future. Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on each matter submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors. Stockholders do not have any right to cumulate votes in the election of directors.

        Subject to preferences that may be granted to the holders of preferred stock, each holder of our common stock is entitled to share ratably in distributions to stockholders and to receive ratably such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive, after payment of all of our debts and liabilities and of all sums to which holders of any preferred stock may be entitled, the distribution of any of our remaining assets. Holders of our common stock have no conversion, exchange, sinking fund, redemption or appraisal rights (other than such as may be determined by our board of directors in its sole discretion) and have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any of our securities.

        All of the outstanding shares of our common stock are, and the shares of common stock issued upon the conversion of any securities convertible into our common stock will be, fully paid and non-assessable. The shares of common stock offered by this prospectus or upon the conversion of any preferred stock or debt securities or exercise of any warrants offered pursuant to this prospectus, when issued and paid for, will also be, fully paid and non-assessable.

        Each share of common stock includes a right to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series C Preferred Stock under certain circumstances. See "—Series C Preferred Stock" below for additional information.

        Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "KTOS."

Preferred Stock

        We are authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, of which 63,637 shares have been designated Series A Preferred Stock, 90,000 shares have been designated Series B Preferred Stock and 1,200,000 have been designated Series C Preferred Stock, none of which were issued and outstanding as of August 1, 2014. Our board is authorized to classify or reclassify any unissued portion of our authorized shares of preferred stock to provide for the issuance of shares of other classes or series, including preferred stock in one or more series. We may issue preferred stock from time to time in one or more classes or series, with the exact terms of each class or series established by our board. Without seeking stockholder approval, our board may issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of decreasing the market price of the common stock.

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        The rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock of each series will be fixed by the certificate of designation relating to each series. A prospectus supplement relating to each series will specify the terms of the preferred stock, including, but not limited to:

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the distinctive designation and the maximum number of shares in the series;



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the terms on which dividends, if any, will be paid;



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the voting rights, if any, on the shares of the series;



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the terms and conditions, if any, on which the shares of the series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or classes of capital stock;



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the terms on which the shares may be redeemed, if at all;



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the liquidation preference, if any; and



•

any or all other preferences, rights, restrictions, including restrictions on transferability, and qualifications of shares of the series.

        The issuance of preferred stock may delay, deter or prevent a change in control.

        We will describe the specific terms of a particular series of preferred stock in the prospectus supplement relating to that series. The description of preferred stock above and the description of the terms of a particular series of preferred stock in the prospectus supplement are not complete. You should refer to the applicable certificate of designation for complete information. The prospectus supplement will contain a description of U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the preferred stock.

Series C Preferred Stock

        On December 16, 2004, in connection with the approval of our Rights Agreement (as defined below), our board of directors authorized and declared a dividend of one right to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series C Preferred Stock for each outstanding share of common stock to stockholders of record as of the close of business on December 27, 2004. Each right entitles the registered holder of a share of our common stock, subject to the terms of the Rights Agreement, to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series C Preferred Stock at a purchase price of $54.00, subject to adjustment. See "—Our Rights Agreement" below for additional information.

Possible Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and our Charter Documents

        Provisions of the DGCL and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our seconded amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult to acquire us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, or to remove incumbent officers and directors. These provisions, summarized below, are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and takeover bids that our board of directors may consider inadequate and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging takeover or acquisition proposals because, among other things, negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute

        We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, an anti-takeover statute. In general, Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a "business combination" with an "interested stockholder" for a period of three years following the time the person became an

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interested stockholder, unless the business combination or the acquisition of shares that resulted in a stockholder becoming an interested stockholder is approved in a prescribed manner. Generally, a "business combination" includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Generally, an "interested stockholder" is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns (or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own) 15% or more of a corporation's voting stock. The existence of this provision would be expected to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by our board of directors, including discouraging attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by our stockholders.

Election and Removal of Directors

        Our board of directors is elected annually by all holders of our capital stock. To be eligible for election or appointment to the board of directors, an individual must meet certain director qualification requirements set forth in our second amended and restated bylaws. Directors may be removed without cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on such removal.

Amendment

        The affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of our voting stock, voting together as a single class, is required to, among other things, alter, amend or repeal certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, including those related to the election and removal of the board of directors, amendment of our second amended and restated bylaws and amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, restrictions against stockholder actions by written consent and the indemnification of officers and directors.

        Our second amended and restated bylaws may only be amended (or new bylaws adopted) by the board of directors or the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66²/3% of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of our voting stock.

Size of Board and Vacancies

        Pursuant to our second amended and restated bylaws, our board of directors has the exclusive right to fix the size of the board and to fill any vacancies resulting from death, resignation, disqualification or removal as well as any newly created directorships arising from an increase in the size of the board

Special Stockholder Meetings

        Our second amended and restated bylaws provide that only a majority of the total number of authorized directors may call a special meeting of the stockholders, and any business conducted at any special meeting will be limited to the purpose or purposes specified in the order calling for the special meeting

Stockholder Action by Unanimous Written Consent

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, expressly eliminates the right of our stockholders to act by written consent. Stockholder action must take place at the annual or a special meeting of our stockholders.

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Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Nominations and Proposals

        Our second amended and restated bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and nomination of candidates for election as directors other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of our board of directors.

No Cumulative Voting

        The DGCL provides that stockholders are denied the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless our certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, does not provide for cumulative voting.

Undesignated Preferred Stock

        The authority that will be possessed by our board of directors to issue preferred stock could potentially be used to discourage attempts by third parties to obtain control of our company through a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise by making such attempts more difficult or more costly. Our board of directors may issue preferred stock with voting rights or conversion rights that, if exercised, could adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock.

Authorized but Unissued Shares

        Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock will be available for future issuance without stockholder approval. We may use additional shares for a variety of purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, to fund acquisitions and as employee compensation. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Our Rights Agreement

        We are party to a Rights Agreement, dated as of December 16, 2004, between us and Wells Fargo, N.A., as amended May 14, 2012, which we refer to as the Rights Agreement, designed to deter abusive takeover tactics and to encourage prospective acquirors to negotiate with our board of directors rather than attempt to acquire us in a manner or on terms that our board deems unacceptable. Under the Rights Agreement, each outstanding share of common stock includes an associated preferred stock purchase right. If the rights become exercisable, each right will entitle its holder to purchase one one-thousandth (1/100) of a share of our Series C Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $54.00 per unit, subject to adjustment. The rights trade with all outstanding shares of the common stock.

        Initially, the rights will attach to all certificates representing shares of our outstanding common stock, and no separate rights certificates will be distributed. Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the rights will separate from the common stock and become exercisable upon the earlier of:

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the tenth day following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons has acquired or obtained the right to acquire, without approval of our board of directors, beneficial ownership of 15 percent or more of our outstanding common stock, referred to as an acquiring person; or



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the tenth business day, or any later date as determined by the board of directors prior to the time that any person or group becomes an acquiring person, following the commencement of or announcement of an intention to make a tender offer or exchange offer that, if consummated, would result in the person or group becoming an acquiring person (an acquiring person does not include certain persons specified in the Rights Agreement).

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Term of Rights

        The rights will expire on December 16, 2014, unless we extend this date or redeem or exchange the rights as described below.

Exercise after Someone Becomes an Acquiring Person

        After any person or group becomes an acquiring person, each holder of a right will be entitled to receive upon exercise that number of shares of the common stock having a market value of two times the exercise price of the right. However, this right will not apply to an acquiring person, whose rights will be void.

        Upon the occurrence of certain events after someone becomes an acquiring person, each holder of a right, other than the acquiring person, will be entitled to receive, upon exercise of the right, common stock of the acquiring company having a market value equal to two times the exercise price of the right. These rights will arise only if after a person or group becomes an acquiring person:

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we are acquired in a merger or other business combination;



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any person merges with us and all or part of the our common stock is converted or exchanged for securities, cash or property of us or any other person; or



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we sell or otherwise transfer 50 percent or more of our assets or earning power.

Adjustment

        The exercise price, the number of rights outstanding and the number of preferred shares issuable upon exercise of the rights are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent certain types of dilution.

Rights, Preferences and Limitations of Rights

        Preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of the rights will not be redeemable. Until a right is exercised, the holder of the right, as such, will have no rights as a stockholder of the Company (other than any rights resulting from such holder's ownership of common stock), including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends. In the event of liquidation, the holder of a unit will receive a preferred liquidation payment equal to the greater of $0.01 per unit and the per share amount paid in respect of the common stock. The rights of holders of the Series C Preferred Stock with respect to liquidation and voting, and in the event of mergers and consolidations, are protected by customary anti-dilution provisions.

Exchange and Redemption

        After a person or group becomes an acquiring person, we may exchange the rights, in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio, subject to adjustment, of one share of common stock, or one one-hundredth of a share of preferred stock, per right. We generally may not make an exchange after any person or group becomes the beneficial owner of 50 percent or more of the common stock.

        We may redeem the rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.001 per right, subject to adjustment, at any time until ten business days following a public announcement of any person or group becoming an acquiring person. The redemption of the rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the board of directors in its sole discretion may establish. Once redeemed, the rights will terminate immediately, and the only right of the rights holders will be to receive the redemption price.

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Amendments

        Any of the provisions of the Rights Agreement may be amended in any respect without the approval of the rights holders or stockholders at any time prior to the date the rights are no longer redeemable. After that date, the terms of the rights and the Rights Agreement may be amended without the consent of the rights holders in order to cure any ambiguities or to make changes that do not adversely affect the interests of Rights holders (other than an acquiring person).

Transfer Agent and Registrar

        The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Shareowner Services. Its address is 161 North Concord Exchange Street, South Saint Paul, MN, 55075 and its telephone number is (800) 468-9716. The transfer agent for any series of preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus will be named and described in the prospectus supplement for that series.

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

        The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements or free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. We may issue debt securities, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. The terms of any debt securities we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below. However, no prospectus supplement shall fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness. As of the date of this prospectus, we have outstanding $625.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2019. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the "indentures," we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.

        We will issue any senior debt securities under the senior indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the senior indenture. We will issue any subordinated debt securities under the subordinated indenture and any supplemental indentures that we will enter into with the trustee named in the subordinated indenture. We have filed forms of these documents as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

        The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the Trust Indenture Act. We use the term "trustee" to refer to either the trustee under the senior indenture or the trustee under the subordinated indenture, as applicable.

        The following summaries of material provisions of the senior debt securities, the subordinated debt securities and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture and any supplemental indentures applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete indentures that contains the terms of the debt securities. Except as we may otherwise indicate, the terms of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are identical.

General

        The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in an officers' certificate or by a supplemental indenture. Debt securities may be issued in separate series without limitation as to aggregate principal amount. We may specify a maximum aggregate principal amount for the debt securities of any series. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including:

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the title;



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the principal amount being offered, and if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;



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any limit on the amount that may be issued;

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whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, and, if so, the terms and who the depositary will be;



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the maturity date;



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whether and under what circumstances, if any, we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a United States person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts;



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the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;



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whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;



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the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;



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the place where payments will be made;



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restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;



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our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;



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the date, if any, after which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions;



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provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund, if any, including the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant thereto or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder's option, to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;



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whether the indenture will restrict our ability or the ability of our subsidiaries to:



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incur additional indebtedness;



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issue additional securities;



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create liens;



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pay dividends or make distributions in respect of our capital stock or the capital stock of our subsidiaries;



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redeem capital stock;



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place restrictions on our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets;



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make investments or other restricted payments;



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sell or otherwise dispose of assets;



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enter into sale-leaseback transactions;



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engage in transactions with stockholders or affiliates;



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issue or sell stock of our subsidiaries; or



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effect a consolidation or merger;

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whether the indenture will require us to maintain any interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios;



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a discussion of certain material or special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities;



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information describing any book-entry features;



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the applicability of the provisions in the indenture on discharge;



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whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an "original issue discount" as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;



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the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;



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the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars; and



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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any additional events of default or covenants provided with respect to the debt securities, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

        We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms under which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, our preferred stock or other securities (including securities of a third party). We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock, our preferred stock or other securities (including securities of a third party) that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

        Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indentures will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate. If the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for our other securities or securities of other entities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell all of our property must make provisions for the conversion of the debt securities into securities that the holders of the debt securities would have received if they had converted the debt securities before the consolidation, merger or sale.

Events of Default under the Indenture

        Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

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if we fail to pay interest when due and payable and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended;

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if we fail to pay the principal, premium or sinking fund payment, if any, when due and payable at maturity, upon redemption or repurchase or otherwise, and the time for payment has not been extended;



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if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice from the trustee or we and the trustee receive notice from the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and



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if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

        We will describe in each applicable prospectus supplement any additional events of default relating to the relevant series of debt securities. If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default arises due to the occurrence of certain specified bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization events, the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the trustee or any holder.

        The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.

        Subject to the terms of the indentures, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

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the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and



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subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

        The indentures provide that if an event of default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee will be required in the exercise of its powers to use the degree of care that a prudent person would use in the conduct of its own affairs. The trustee, however, may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or the indenture, or that the trustee determines is unduly prejudicial to the rights of any other holder of the relevant series of debt securities, or that would involve the trustee in personal liability. Prior to taking any action under the indentures, the trustee will be entitled to indemnification against all costs, expenses and liabilities that would be incurred by taking or not taking such action.

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        A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies only if:

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the holder has given written notice to the trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;



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the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made a written request and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the trustee or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense or to be incurred in compliance with instituting the proceeding as trustee; and



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the trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer.

        These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities, or other defaults that may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        We will periodically file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.

        The indentures provide that if a default occurs and is continuing and is actually known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee must mail to each holder notice of the default within the earlier of 90 days after it occurs and 30 days after it is known by a responsible officer of the trustee or written notice of it is received by the trustee, unless such default has been cured or waived. Except in the case of a default in the payment of principal or premium of, or interest on, any debt security or certain other defaults specified in an indenture, the trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as the board of directors, the executive committee or a trust committee of directors, or responsible officers of the trustee, in good faith determine that withholding notice is in the best interests of holders of the relevant series of debt securities.

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

        Subject to the terms of the indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue, we and the trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to the following specific matters:

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to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture;



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to comply with the provisions described above under "Description of Debt Securities—Consolidation, Merger or Sale;"



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to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;



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to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in the indenture;



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to provide for the issuance of, and establish the form and terms and conditions of, the debt securities of any series as provided under "Description of Debt Securities—General," to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;



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to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee;

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to provide for uncertificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;



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to add such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the benefit of the holders, to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default or to surrender any right or power conferred to us in the indenture; or



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to change anything that does not adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series in any material respect.

        In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, subject to the terms of the indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue or otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the trustee may only make the following changes with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

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extending the stated maturity of the series of debt securities;



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reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption or repurchase of any debt securities; or



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reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.

Discharge

        Each indenture provides that, subject to the terms of the indenture and any limitation otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we may elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for specified obligations, including obligations to:

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register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;



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replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;



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maintain paying agencies;



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hold monies for payment in trust;



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recover excess money held by the trustee;



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compensate and indemnify the trustee; and



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appoint any successor trustee.

        In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

        We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company or another depositary named by us and identified in a

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prospectus supplement with respect to that series. See "Legal Ownership of Securities" below for a further description of the terms relating to any book-entry securities.

        At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

        Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will make no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

        We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

        If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

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issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or



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register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

Information Concerning the Trustee

        The trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture and is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur. However, upon an event of default under an indenture, the trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs.

Payment and Paying Agents

        Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest payment.

        We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate trust office of the trustee as our sole paying agent for

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payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

        All money we pay to a paying agent or the trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

Governing Law

        The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

Ranking Debt Securities

        The subordinated debt securities will be unsecured and will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement. The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of subordinated debt securities that we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

        The senior debt securities will be unsecured and will rank equally in right of payment to all our other senior unsecured debt. The senior indenture does not limit the amount of senior debt securities that we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

        The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements and free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which may consist of warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities and may be issued in one or more series. Warrants may be offered independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement, and may be attached to or separate from those securities. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. However, no prospectus supplement will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.

        We will issue the warrants under a warrant agreement that we will enter into with a warrant agent to be selected by us. The warrant agent will act solely as an agent of ours in connection with the warrants and will not act as an agent for the holders or beneficial owners of the warrants. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus related to the particular series of warrants that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

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General

        We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms relating to a series of warrants, including:

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the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;



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the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;



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if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;



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if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;



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in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;



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in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;



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the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreements and the warrants;



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the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;



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any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;



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the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;



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the manner in which the warrant agreements and warrants may be modified;



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United States federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;



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the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and



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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

        Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including:

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in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the right to receive payments of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture; or



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in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

Exercise of Warrants

        Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

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        Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent.

        Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

        Each warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

        The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements and free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any units offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. However, no prospectus supplement will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.

        We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, the form of unit agreement that describes the terms of the series of units we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of the related series of units. The following summaries of material terms and provisions of the units are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the unit agreement and any supplemental agreements applicable to a particular series of units. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of units that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete unit agreement and any supplemental agreements that contain the terms of the units.

General

        We may issue units comprised of one or more debt securities, shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock and warrants in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights

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and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

        We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of units, including:

•

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;



•

any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; and



•

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units.

        The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under "Description of Capital Stock," "Description of Debt Securities" and "Description of Warrants" will apply to each unit and to any common stock, preferred stock, debt security or warrant included in each unit, respectively.

Issuance in Series

        We may issue units in such amounts and in numerous distinct series as we determine.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Units

        Each unit agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable unit agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any unit. A single bank or trust company may act as unit agent for more than one series of units. A unit agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable unit agreement or unit, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a unit may, without the consent of the related unit agent or the holder of any other unit, enforce by appropriate legal action its rights as holder under any security included in the unit.

        We, the unit agents and any of their agents may treat the registered holder of any unit certificate as an absolute owner of the units evidenced by that certificate for any purpose and as the person entitled to exercise the rights attaching to the units so requested, despite any notice to the contrary. See "Legal Ownership of Securities."

LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

        We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee or depositary or warrant agent maintain for this purpose as the "holders" of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as "indirect holders" of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.

Book-Entry Holders

        We may issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in the depositary's book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are

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referred to as participants, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.

        Only the person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of that security. Global securities will be registered in the name of the depositary or its participants. Consequently, for global securities, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms of the securities.

        As a result, investors in a global security will not own securities directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the depositary's book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect holders, and not legal holders, of the securities.

Street Name Holders

        We may terminate a global security or issue securities that are not issued in global form. In these cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in "street name." Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.

        For securities held in street name, we or any applicable trustee or depositary will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we or any such trustee or depositary will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders, not legal holders, of those securities.

Legal Holders

        Our obligations, as well as the obligations of any applicable trustee or third party employed by us or a trustee, run only to the legal holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form.

        For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that holder is required, under agreements with its participants or customers or by law, to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so. Similarly, we may want to obtain the approval of the holders to amend an indenture, to relieve us of the consequences of a default or of our obligation to comply with a particular provision of an indenture, or for other purposes. In such an event, we would seek approval only from the legal holders, and not the indirect holders, of the securities. Whether and how the legal holders contact the indirect holders is up to the legal holders.

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Special Considerations for Indirect Holders

        If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in book-entry form because the securities are represented by one or more global securities or in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:

•

how it handles securities payments and notices;



•

whether it imposes fees or charges;



•

how it would handle a request for the holders' consent, if ever required;



•

whether and how you can instruct it to send you securities registered in your own name so you can be a legal holder, if that is permitted in the future;



•

how it would exercise rights under the securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests; and



•

if the securities are in book-entry form, how the depositary's rules and procedures will affect these matters.

Global Securities

        A global security is a security that represents one or any other number of individual securities held by a depositary. Generally, all securities represented by the same global securities will have the same terms.

        Each security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that we issue to, deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, known as DTC, will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry form.

        A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under "—Special Situations When A Global Security Will Be Terminated." As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and legal holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a legal holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.

        If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will be issued as a global security, then the security will be represented by a global security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry clearing system.

Special Considerations For Global Securities

        As an indirect holder, an investor's rights relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor's financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.

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        If securities are issued only as global securities, an investor should be aware of the following:

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an investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his or her name, and cannot obtain non-global certificates for his or her interest in the securities, except in the special situations we describe below;



•

an investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or her own bank or broker for payments on the securities and protection of his or her legal rights relating to the securities, as we describe above;



•

an investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities to some insurance companies and to other institutions that are required by law to own their securities in non-book-entry form;



•

an investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in the global security in circumstances where certificates representing the securities must be delivered to the lender or other beneficiary of the pledge in order for the pledge to be effective;



•

the depositary's policies, which may change from time to time, will govern payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to an investor's interest in the global security. We and any applicable trustee have no responsibility for any aspect of the depositary's actions or for its records of ownership interests in the global security. We and the trustee also do not supervise the depositary in any way;



•

the depositary may, and we understand that DTC will, require that those who purchase and sell interests in the global security within its book-entry system use immediately available funds, and your broker or bank may require you to do so as well; and



•

financial institutions that participate in the depositary's book-entry system, and through which an investor holds its interest in the global security, may also have their own policies affecting payments, notices and other matters relating to the securities. There may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the actions of any of those intermediaries.

Special Situations When A Global Security Will Be Terminated

        In a few special situations described below, a global security will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in securities transferred to their own names, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.

        A global security will terminate when the following special situations occur:

•

if the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer qualified to continue as depositary for that global security and we do not appoint another institution to act as depositary within 90 days;



•

if we notify any applicable trustee that we wish to terminate that global security; or



•

if an event of default has occurred with regard to securities represented by that global security and has not been cured or waived.

        The applicable prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and neither we nor any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

        We may sell the securities being offered hereby in one or more of the following ways from time to time:

•

through agents to the public or to investors;



•

to underwriters for resale to the public or to investors;



•

directly to investors; or



•

through a combination of any of these methods of sale.

        We will set forth in a prospectus supplement the terms of that particular offering of securities, including:

•

the name or names of any agents or underwriters;



•

the purchase price of the securities being offered and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;



•

any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us;



•

any agency fees or underwriting discounts and other items constituting agents' or underwriters' compensation;



•

any initial public offering price;



•

any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and



•

any securities exchanges or markets on which such securities may be listed.

Agents

        We may designate agents who agree to use their reasonable efforts to solicit purchases of our securities for the period of their appointment or to sell our securities on a continuing basis.

Underwriters

        If we use underwriters for a sale of securities, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account. The underwriters may resell the securities in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the securities of the series offered if they purchase any of the securities of that series. We may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions the underwriters allow or reallow or pay to dealers. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe the nature of any such relationship in any prospectus supplement naming any such underwriter. Only underwriters we name in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

Direct Sales

        We may also sell securities directly to one or more purchasers without using underwriters or agents. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act, and any discounts or commissions they receive from us and any profit on their resale of the securities may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. We will identify in the applicable prospectus supplement any underwriters, dealers or agents and will describe their compensation. We may have agreements with the underwriters, dealers and agents to indemnify them against specified civil liabilities, including liabilities

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under the Securities Act. Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of their businesses.

Trading Markets and Listing of Securities

        Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, each class or series of securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than our common stock and warrants, which are listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market. We may elect to list any other class or series of securities on any exchange or market, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in a class or series of securities, but the underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot give any assurance as to the liquidity of the trading market for any of the securities.

Stabilization Activities

        Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of these activities at any time.

Passive Market Making

        Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on The NASDAQ Global Select Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on The NASDAQ Global Select Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security. If all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker's bid, however, the passive market maker's bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded.

LEGAL MATTERS

        DLA Piper LLP (US), San Diego, California will pass for us upon the validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplement, and counsel named in the applicable prospectus supplement will pass upon legal matters for any underwriters, dealers or agents.

EXPERTS

        The consolidated financial statements as of December 30, 2012, and for the two years in the period ended December 30, 2012, incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the report of Grant Thornton LLP, independent registered public accountants, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

        The financial statements, incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the effectiveness of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, Inc.'s internal

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control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

        We are a reporting company and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering under this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. You may read and copy the registration statement, as well as our reports, proxy statements and other information, at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the Public Reference Room. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, where our SEC filings are also available. The address of the SEC's web site is www.sec.gov. We maintain a website at www.kratosdefense.com. Information contained in or accessible through our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

        The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" information that we file with it into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information in this prospectus supersedes information incorporated by reference that we filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus, while information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus. We incorporate by reference into this registration statement and prospectus the following documents, and any future filings we will make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of the initial registration statement but prior to effectiveness of the registration statement and after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering of the securities covered by this prospectus (other than current reports or portions thereof furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K):

•

our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2013 filed with the SEC on March 12, 2014;



•

our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 30, 2014 and June 29, 2014 filed with the SEC on April 30, 2014 and August 7, 2014, respectively;



•

our current reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 22, 2014, May 9, 2014 and May 15, 2014;



•

our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 11, 2014; and



•

the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 000-27231), filed under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act on September 3, 1999, including any subsequent amendment or report filed for the purpose of amending such description; and

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•

the description of the purchase rights for Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 000-27231), initially filed under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act on December 17, 2004, as modified by our Registration Statement on Form 8-A12B (File No. 001-34460), filed under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act on September 16, 2009, and including, in each case, any subsequent amendment or report filed for the purpose of amending such description.

        We will provide each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus upon written or oral request at no cost to the requester. Requests should be directed to: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., Attention: Investor Relations, 4820 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, California, 92121, telephone (858) 812-7300.

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                  Shares

Common Stock

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PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

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November    , 2016

   

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