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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A trade association is the fast route onto the Blue UAS list
WISPR got Green UAS certification in February and was on the Pentagon's Blue UAS Cleared List ten weeks later. Four platforms joined in 2026.
US Drone Tariffs of Up to 100% Take Effect September 3
A Section 232 proclamation puts 100% duties on drones over 25kg and on thermal imagers, and 25% on everything lighter, starting September 3.
Neros Raises $250M to Build Interceptor and FPV Drones
Neros raised $250M at a $2.5B valuation and is adding a counter-drone interceptor, moving beyond the FPV airframes that made its name in Ukraine.
AVPL's Drone City in Hisar Has Named No Tenants Yet
AVPL opened 23 sheds for drone makers in May. None has been named, and part of the site's money is to come from AVPL's planned share sale.
Anduril's Barracuda-500M Deal Sets 3,000 Missiles, No Price
The May agreement sets minimums, not a value. A low-cost cruise missile flew at White Sands in August; the Army did not say whose.
Anduril Raises $5 Billion Series H at a $61 Billion Valuation
The money is for factories. Five months on, the Ohio plant has built its first Fury jet, and Anduril's first missile deliveries are due in 2027.
Destinus Has Not Confirmed Its €200M Pre-IPO Round
Bloomberg reported the round and a €5 billion valuation in May. Destinus now says Helsing will join a round, but gives no amount or listing date.
DZYNE Unveils Blitz, a Mass-Producible Kamikaze Drone
DZYNE's Blitz is a Group 1 one-way attack drone with 80–150 km range, launched in swarms from a BlitzBox container, aimed at Drone Dominance.
Terra Drone Wins Japan Defense Order for 300 Modular UAVs
Terra Drone secured a JPY 115.4M order from Japan's ATLA for 300 domestically produced modular UAVs, its first defense contract since entering the sector.
Drone Battery Suppliers Move Ahead of the NDAA's 2028 Ban
The Pentagon's ban on batteries with Chinese materials phases in from 2028 to 2031. SES AI, 6K Energy and Unusual Machines are moving now.
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's Beyond Vision Licence Is Still Only a Term Sheet
Six months on, no definitive deal to build the Portuguese drones in Canada has been announced. Arcanus's order claims are its own.
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 Is Spending Billions to Build Its Own Military Drones
Germany, France and Poland have set budgets and the EU has loans and a drone shield due by 2027. Nobody has published what Europe's factories make.
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.
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
Quantum Systems
German maker of VTOL reconnaissance drones and autonomy software for European and US defense customers, with large-scale deployment in Ukraine.
Germany
DJI
Chinese private manufacturer of consumer, enterprise and agricultural drones, cameras and imaging systems.
China
Skydio
US drone manufacturer building AI-powered autonomous aircraft, supplying NDAA-compliant enterprise and defense drones to agencies and operators.
United States
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
Neros Technologies
US manufacturer of low-cost first-person-view attack drones and counter-UAS interceptors, built around a domestic supply chain outside Chinese components.
United States
Funding
Series C
Sequoia Capital, American Strategic Technology Fund, Interlagos, Valor Equity Partners, Allen & Company, Thiel Capital, Spark Capital, Dylan Field
Neros TechnologiesGrowth
Dragoneer Investment Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Disruptive, Iconiq, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, JPMorganChase, CPP Investments, General Catalyst, Plural, StepStone
HelsingSeries D
Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus, Advent, BOND, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Wellington Management, A.P. Moller Holding, Elephant Lake Ventures, Balderton, HV Capital
Quantum SystemsUndisclosed
Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, NATO Innovation Fund, Project A, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Advent, Döpfner Capital
STARKContracts
Powerus
Unusual Machines
Purchase order from Powerus Corporation for US-made drone components (motors, batteries, cameras and…
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…