Freefly Systems

Freefly Systems designs and manufactures drones, camera stabilisation systems and high-speed cameras in Woodinville, Washington. It was founded in 2011 by Tabb Firchau, David Bloomfield, Hugh Bell and Megan Fogel, and made its name in cinema before the industrial and government market became the larger part of the business. It is a small company — publicly reported headcount is in the range of 70 to 80 — that machines and assembles its airframes, gimbals and controllers itself rather than sourcing them.

Product Line

Astro and Astro Max — the compact industrial platform, and the current centre of the business. Astro Max was introduced in February 2025 with roughly 3 kg payload capacity, an open payload interface for photogrammetry cameras, LiDAR and multispectral sensors, and a company-stated 39 minutes of flight time without a payload. It ships in NDAA-compliant and DIU Blue configurations.

Alta X and Alta X Gen2 — the heavy-lift quadcopter line. Alta X Gen2 combines the Alta X airframe with the flight controller and payload interfaces developed for Astro Max.

Ember and Wave — high-speed cameras for cinema and scientific imaging, sold as products in their own right rather than drone accessories.

MōVI Pro and MōVI XL — the handheld cinema gimbals that established the company. Still sold, but no longer where the product development is going.

Compliance and Government Position

Freefly’s government exposure runs through the Blue UAS list, which the Defense Contract Management Agency took over from the Defense Innovation Unit in December 2025. Freefly says the Astro was reaffirmed on the list in the 2025 Blue Refresh and the Alta X was not: it says the Alta X was delisted and moved to the AUVSI Green UAS list, and attributes the change to DIU’s budget constraints and its shift of priority toward FPV aircraft rather than to anything about the aircraft. That is Freefly’s explanation of a decision it did not make, and it should be read as such. Existing Alta X operators had a one-year exception to policy running to 28 February 2026. The official DCMA list, read on 15 October 2026, carries the Astro Max from 14 February 2025 and the Alta X Gen2 from 24 September 2026, which fits Freefly’s account. It also still carries the original “Alta X - Blue Package”, dated 18 August 2022. Freefly told FlightBrief on 16 October 2026 that this aircraft is still listed, though Freefly no longer makes it.

Business Position

Freefly is privately held. It has never disclosed revenue, and no significant venture round is on the public record — the business appears to have been funded from operations. Sales run through direct channels and a dealer network including Advexure, DSLRPros and XTI Aerospace’s Drone Nerds, which added the Alta X Gen2 in February 2026. Government sales are modest and mostly transactional; the Naval Research Laboratory noticed a sole-source purchase of an Alta X in March 2026.

Why It Matters

Freefly occupies the narrow band DJI does not: US-built, heavy-lift, open payload interfaces, and a compliance status government buyers can actually procure against. Its size is both the point and the problem. Owning manufacturing in Washington state gives it NDAA credibility that resellers of foreign airframes cannot claim, but it also means competing on unit cost against much larger volumes.

The confusion over which of its aircraft is listed shows the exposure: a company this dependent on one procurement listing is exposed to decisions it has no influence over, and its customers cannot always tell what was decided.