Note 9 – Promissory and Convertible Notes

 

In February 2024 and in conjunction with the acquisition of Fat Shark and Rotor Riot, as discussed in Note 3, the Company issued a promissory note (“Note”) with Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (“Red Cat”) for $2.0 million. In July 2024, the Company finalized its working capital adjustment with Red Cat which increased the overall purchase price by an additional $2.0 million. In accordance with ASC 470, Debt, the additional $2.0 million was treated as a modification that was not treated as a debt extinguishment and expenses related to the debt were expensed as incurred. The additional $2.0 million was added to the existing Note and was reflected as an adjustment to the opening purchase price and was included in the opening balance sheet as of February 16, 2024 as an increase to goodwill and intangible assets. Accordingly, the Note was amended to increase the principal amount of the Note to $4.0 million.

 

Subsequently and in July 2024, in conjunction with a private sale of Red Cat’s common stock and its promissory note to two accredited investors (“Investors”), the Company issued new notes to the new Investors (the “July Notes”) and cancelled the original Note. The July Notes contained 8% per annum interest. In addition, the maturity date of the July Notes was extended to November 30, 2025, subject to certain conditions.

 

On August 21, 2024, the Company entered into two exchange agreements with the Investors, under which the Investors exchanged their respective 8% July Notes for new 4% Convertible Notes (the “August Notes”). Pursuant to the exchange agreements, the Investors exchanged the $4,000,000 of July Notes for an aggregate of (i) $3,000,000 for the August Notes, (ii) 210 shares of Series C preferred stock, which converts into 630,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, and (iii) 630,000 warrants with a five-year term and an exercise price of $1.99 per share, subject to certain adjustments. The July Notes were cancelled as a part of the exchange agreement. In accordance with ASC 470, since the August Notes were considered a greater than 10% change from the July Notes and a substantive conversion option was added to the August Notes, this exchange was treated as a debt extinguishment. The August Notes bear interest at 4% annually with interest payable monthly and the principal due on November 30, 2025. The August Notes are convertible into common stock at a fixed $1.99 per share, except in the Event of Default as defined in the August Notes, which the conversion price for an Event of Default Conversion is calculated at a 10% discount of the average three-day volume-weighted average price prior to the conversion date.

 

During the third quarter 2024, the Company recognized a loss on debt extinguishment of $685,151 related to the exchange agreement discussed above. The loss on extinguishment related to the August Notes included $315,303 fair value related to the warrant liability issued, $347,947 fair value related to the optional conversion feature derivative liability of the remaining principal balance, and $21,901 cash fees paid for legal costs related to the August Notes. The Company used the binomial option pricing method for calculating the derivative fair value related to the warrants and optional conversion feature (see Note 10 – Derivative Liabilities).

 

In December 2024, the Investors exercised their conversion option to convert the remaining $3,000,000 in August Notes to Common Stock at a fixed $1.99 conversion price. As a result, the Company issued 1,507,538 shares of common stock, cancelled the $3,000,000 in August Notes, and recorded $17,864,325 to common stock and additional paid in capital related to the conversion of the August Notes to Common Stock. This value is based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on December 3, 2024 of $11.85 per share. This resulted in a loss on debt extinguishment of $14,864,325. The settlement of the related conversion option derivative resulted in a gain on extinguishment of $16,503,923 (see Note 10). The net gain was $1,639,598.

 

A reconciliation of the net gain on debt extinguishment during the year ended December 31, 2024 is as follows:

    
   December 31, 2024 
Loss from August Notes modification  $(685,151)
Loss from conversion of debt to common stock   (14,864,325)
Gain from settlement of conversion option   16,503,923 
Gain from settlement of warrant liability   305,532 
Net gain on debt extinguishment  $1,259,979 

 

Total interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 was $0 and $116,981, respectively.

 

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Mar 12, 2026Showing above
2024Mar 27, 2025

About Debt Disclosures

Debt disclosures detail a company's borrowing structure — the types of instruments, interest rates, maturity schedule, and covenant restrictions that define its financial obligations and flexibility. This section is essential for assessing refinancing risk, interest rate exposure, and the margin of safety against financial distress.

Key signals: the maturity schedule reveals concentration risk — large maturities within 1-2 years during tight credit markets can force dilutive refinancing or asset sales. Compare the fair value of debt against carrying amount to gauge whether the market views the company's credit risk differently than the balance sheet suggests. Watch covenant compliance disclosures for tightening cushions, especially leverage and interest coverage ratios. Variable-rate debt exposure quantifies sensitivity to interest rate changes. Secured versus unsecured mix affects recovery rates and future borrowing capacity. Compare net debt-to-EBITDA against industry peers and covenant limits to assess financial health.