Drone Manufacturing
US Drone Manufacturers 2026: Every Maker and What It Builds — Page 2
Every US company that designs and sells its own drones, from Reaper-class aircraft to palm-sized quadcopters, with a notable US government order for each.
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DAWG Budget, NDAA Batteries and Unusual Machines in Numbers
Trump's $53.6B Autonomous Warfare Group budget is reshaping domestic drone supply chains. Here's how four companies are responding.
WaiV Robotics Raises $7.5M for Maritime VTOL Landing Pad
WaiV Robotics launches a gyro-stabilized landing pad for VTOL drones on vessels as small as 10 meters, backed by $7.5M in seed funding.
Arcanus Aerial Licenses Beyond Vision UAVs for Canada
Arcanus Aerial signed a production licence with Portugal's Beyond Vision to manufacture UAVs in Canada for NATO customers.
Saab CEO: Europe Should Buy 70% of Defence From Europe
ASD chair Micael Johansson calls for 70% European sourcing in defence procurement and demand coalitions for consolidation.
Firestorm Labs Raises $82M for Containerized Drone Factories
Firestorm Labs closes an $82M Series B to expand its xCell containerized drone manufacturing platform, backed by Lockheed Martin and In-Q-Tel.
Skyrover S1 vs DJI Mini 4 Pro: Specs, Prices and FCC Status
The S1 costs less and claims longer flights. The FCC has proposed stopping its sale, and DJI's US store lists the Mini 4 Pro out of stock.
Unusual Machines Wins $5M Counter-UAS Contract with Powerus
Unusual Machines secured a $5M+ contract to supply NDAA-compliant components for Powerus counter-UAS interceptor systems.
Aero Velocity Partners on Mobile Drone Launch Vehicle
Aero Velocity and AC Future are jointly developing a mobile drone launch platform for U.S. military ISR and electronic warfare missions.
Netherlands Commits €248M to Drone Production for Ukraine
The Netherlands will fund €248M in drone production for Ukraine, covering Dutch-made and Ukrainian-made UAVs.
Europe's Drone Production Gap: How the EU Plans to Close It
France, Germany, and Poland are spending billions on military drones as the EU produces less than 30% of its own needs.
Serbia and Elbit Systems to Build Combat Drone Plant
Serbia's Yugoimport and Elbit Systems will open a joint drone manufacturing facility, with the Israeli firm holding a 51% stake in the venture.
Europe's Drone Procurement Runs 3-6 Months Behind the Tech
European defence procurement cycles are too slow for drone technology that evolves every three to six months, according to BCG analysis.
Darkhive Wins $49.7M Pentagon Contract Under APFIT Program
Texas drone startup Darkhive lands the largest contract awarded under the Pentagon's APFIT program, worth $49.7M for tactical drone systems.
Frontline Robotics Begins Drone Production in Germany
Frontline Robotics and Quantum Systems launched a joint venture in Germany — Ukraine's first official military tech export.
DRONE VOLT's LineDrone Signs Five High-Voltage Clients
French drone maker DRONE VOLT confirms five industrial clients for its LineDrone, built to operate on power lines carrying up to 735kV.
Ukraine, France Hold Defense Industry Matchmaking in Paris
27 Ukrainian drone makers met 60 French defense firms in Paris seeking co-production deals and European industrial ties.
Arcanus Aerial Upsizes to $25M for Canadian UAV Production
Canadian drone maker Arcanus has secured a $3.15M lead investment and upsized its Series A to $25M as it moves from development into scaled manufacturing.
FlyFocus Raises €4.5M for NATO UAV Production in Poland
Warsaw-based FlyFocus secured €4.5M led by ffVC to build a dedicated manufacturing facility and launch two new UAV platforms in 2026.
Lucid Bots Raises $20M Series B for Window-Washing Drones
Almost every figure about the cleaning-drone maker is its own, and its pages disagree on how many robots it has and how high the Sherpa reaches.
General Cherry to Build Interceptor Drones in New Hampshire
Ukrainian FPV and interceptor drone maker General Cherry has signed a deal with Wilcox Industries to manufacture UAVs at its New Hampshire facilities.
Companies
Unusual Machines
US drone manufacturer and components distributor building NDAA-compliant drones and parts to cut American dependence on Chinese supply chains.
United States
Anduril Industries
US defense technology company building autonomous weapons, counter-UAS, and AI command software, and manufacturing them at its own Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio.
United States
DJI
Chinese private manufacturer of consumer, enterprise and agricultural drones, cameras and imaging systems.
China
Arcanus Aerial Systems
Canadian UAV manufacturer scaling sovereign drone production for defence and government markets, with a Series A upsized to $25 million.
Canada
Darkhive
US defense drone startup making small tactical unmanned systems for dismounted soldiers, with Pentagon APFIT program contracts.
United States
Quantum Systems
German maker of VTOL reconnaissance drones and autonomy software for European and US defense customers, with large-scale deployment in Ukraine.
Germany
Rheinmetall
German defense and automotive group producing armored vehicles, ammunition, air defense systems, and military drone platforms.
Germany
Skydio
US drone manufacturer building AI-powered autonomous aircraft, supplying NDAA-compliant enterprise and defense drones to agencies and operators.
United States
Funding
Series C
Sequoia Capital, American Strategic Technology Fund, Interlagos, Valor Equity Partners, Allen & Company, Thiel Capital, Spark Capital, Dylan Field
Neros TechnologiesSeries D
Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus, Advent, BOND, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Wellington Management, A.P. Moller Holding, Elephant Lake Ventures, Balderton, HV Capital
Quantum SystemsSeries B
RTX Ventures, Draper Associates, Bison Capital, 1011 Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Alamo Angels, Stellar Ventures
DarkhiveContracts
U.S. Navy
Lockheed Martin
Not-to-exceed undefinitized contract for software development and testing of the multi-domain combat…
U.S. Air Force
DZYNE Technologies
Modification P00005 to the same Long-Endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft assessment contract…
U.S. Air Force
Leidos
Engineering and integration support for the Medusa counter-small-drone system of systems.
U.S. Air Force
DZYNE Technologies
Modification P00003 to FA8691-26-C-B007 for operational assessment of uncrewed Long-Endurance…
Government of Canada
AVSS, Volatus Aerospace, Draganfly, Objexis AI, Twenty20 Insight, Beonyx
First contracts under the Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace: up to C$50 million across six…