As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 27, 2015

Registration No. 333-    

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

KRATOS DEFENSE & SECURITY SOLUTIONS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

4820 Eastgate Mall, Suite 200

San Diego, California 92121

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)

Amended and Restated 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full titles of the plans)

Deanna H. Lund

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.

4820 Eastgate Mall, Suite 200

San Diego, California 92121

(Name and address of agent for service)

(858) 812-7300

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one).

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

(1)          Each share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Registrant”), includes a right to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series C Preferred Stock of the Registrant, par value $0.001 per share (each a “Purchase Right”), under certain circumstances.

(2)          Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of Common Stock that may be offered or issued in connection with any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without receipt of consideration that increases the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock.

(3)          Represents 1,500,000 additional shares of Common Stock available for future issuance under the Registrant’s Amended and Restated 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”).  70,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were initially registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on November 5, 1999 (Registration No. 333-90455).  An additional 80,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were previously registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on October 17, 2001 (Registration No. 333-71702).  An additional 135,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were previously registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on June 28, 2004 (Registration No. 333-116903).  An additional 150,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were previously registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on November 12, 2008 (333-155317).  An additional 625,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were previously registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on June 28, 2010 (333-167839). An additional 250,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were previously registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on October 25, 2011 (333-177494). An additional 900,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were previously registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on July 27, 2012 (333-182910).  An additional 1,500,000 shares available for issuance under the ESPP were previously registered on a registration statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on September 13, 2013 (333-191156).Pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the ESPP.

(4)          Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h) and Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act. The price per share and aggregate offering price are based upon the average of the high and low sales prices of Registrant’s Common Stock on August 21, 2015, as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

On May 20, 2015, the Registrant held its annual meeting of stockholders, at which the Registrant’s stockholders approved the amendment to the ESPP which increased the aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the ESPP by 1,500,000 shares.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I will be sent or given to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.  Such documents are not being filed with the Commission either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.  Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II hereof, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.        Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed with the Commission by the Registrant are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement:

(a)                                 The Registrant’s latest annual report on Form 10-K filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), containing audited financial statements for the Registrant’s fiscal year ended December 28, 2014 as filed with the Commission on March 13, 2015;

(b)                                 The Registrant’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for its fiscal quarter ended March 29, 2015, filed with the Commission on May 7, 2015, amended on Form 10-Q/A filed with the Commission on May 14, 2015, and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for its fiscal quarter ended June 28, 2015, filed with the Commission on August 6, 2015;

(c)                                  The Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on March 12, 2015, May 7, 2015, May 22, 2015, June 1, 2015, June 2, 2015, August 6, 2015, and August 24, 2015;

(d)                                 The Registrant’s definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Commission on April 7, 2015;

(e)                                  The description of the Common Stock contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A 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

(f)                                   The description of the Registrant’s purchase rights for Series C Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act on December 17, 2004, including any subsequent amendment or report filed for the purpose of amending such description.

All reports and other documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and are a part hereof from the date of filing of such reports and other documents, except as to any portion of any such report or other document furnished under current Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K that is not deemed filed under such provisions.  Any statement contained in a report or other document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed report or other document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.  Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4.        Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

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Item 5.        Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6.        Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes a court to award or a corporation’s board of directors to grant indemnification to directors and officers on terms sufficiently broad to permit such indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities (including reimbursement for expenses incurred) arising under the Securities Act.  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.  The Registrant’s second amended and restated bylaws provide for indemnification of its directors, officers, employees and agents to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law.  The Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the liability of its directors for monetary damages shall be eliminated to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law.  The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with its officers and directors and it maintains directors and officers liability insurance.

Item 7.        Exemption From Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

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Item 8.        Exhibits.

The following is a list of exhibits filed as part of this Registration Statement, which are incorporated herein:

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Item 9.        Undertakings.

(a)           The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)           To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii)  To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if this Registration Statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

(2)           That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)           To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b)          The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c)          Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of the expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on this 27th day of August, 2015.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints, jointly and severally, Eric M. DeMarco and Deborah Butera his or her attorneys-in-fact, each with the power of substitution, for him in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including post-effective amendments), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact, or his substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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EXHIBIT INDEX

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EXHIBIT 5.1

August 27, 2015

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.

4820 Eastgate Mall, Suite 200

San Diego, CA 92121

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We refer to the registration statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), of an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Shares”), that are subject to issuance by the Company upon the exercise of purchase rights to acquire shares of common stock granted or to be granted under the Company’s Amended and Restated 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”).

In connection with this opinion, we have reviewed the actions proposed to be taken by you in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares to be issued under the Plan. We have also examined and relied upon the Registration Statement and the originals or copies certified to our satisfaction of such other documents, records, certificates, memoranda and other instruments as in our judgment are necessary or appropriate to enable us to render the opinion expressed below. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We have assumed the genuineness and authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies thereof and the due execution and delivery of all documents where due execution and delivery are a prerequisite to the effectiveness thereof.

This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issue of the Shares. Our opinion is limited to the matters stated herein and no opinion is implied or may be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated. Our opinion herein is expressed solely with respect to the federal laws of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). Our opinion is based on these laws as in effect on the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to advise you of facts, circumstances, events or developments which hereafter may be brought to our attention and which may alter, affect or modify the opinion expressed herein. We are not rendering any opinion as to compliance with any federal or state antifraud law, rule or regulation relating to securities, or to the sale or issuance thereof.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we advise you that, in our opinion, when the Shares have been issued and sold by the Company pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Plan and in accordance with the Registration Statement, such Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.  In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP

Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP

EXHIBIT 23.2

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We have issued our report dated March 12, 2013 with respect to the consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2014 of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., which is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement. We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement of the aforementioned report.

EXHIBIT 23.3

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated March 13, 2015, relating to the consolidated financial statements and the retrospective adjustments to the 2012 financial statement disclosures for a change in the composition of reportable segments discussed in Note 14 of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”), and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the year ended December 28, 2014.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

San Diego, CA

August 27, 2015