The U.S. Military is getting critical about FPV drones. It chosen Draganfly Inc., which is a publicly traded firm headquartered in Saskatoon, Canada, to produce Flex FPV drone methods.
However right here’s the place it will get attention-grabbing: as a substitute of simply transport packing containers of drones from factories again residence, Draganfly will assist set up on-site manufacturing services at abroad U.S. Forces areas. That’s proper — the Military desires to construct drones nearer to the place they’ll really be used.
Why the Draganfly FPV information issues
Should you’ve been following the evolution of drone warfare (and in the event you’re studying this web site, you in all probability have), you already know that FPV drones have basically modified fashionable fight. We’ve seen this play out dramatically in Ukraine, the place low cost, nimble FPV drones have challenged conventional navy {hardware} in ways in which appeared like science fiction just some years in the past. And the U.S. navy has been paying very shut consideration.
Throughout the Swift Response 2025 train in Lithuania earlier this 12 months, paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade flew and detonated their very own in-house-built FPV drones towards dismounted troops and vehicle-sized autonomous targets. The unit even established its personal drone lab for design, coaching, and speedy innovation. Briefly, it created its personal DIY workshop for constructing navy drones.
And in August 2025, the U.S. Military achieved a big milestone: the first-ever air-to-air kill with an armed FPV drone, signaling that drone-on-drone warfare is changing into a actuality.
What Draganfly will do
Below this preliminary order, Draganfly will ship three key parts:
- Flex FPV drone methods designed for high-performance navy operations.
- On-site manufacturing capabilities inside abroad U.S. Forces services to hurry up deployment and reduce supply-chain delays.
- Complete coaching protecting each flight operations and manufacturing, plus logistics administration to make sure NDAA-compliant provide chains.
“We’re honored to assist the U.S. Military because it strikes crucial drone capabilities nearer to entrance traces,” stated Cameron Chell, President and CEO of Draganfly in a ready assertion. “By combining superior Flex FPV Drone methods, embedded manufacturing, coaching and safe logistics, we’re serving to reinforce operational agility and sustainment for forward-deployed forces.”
The larger image: decentralized drone manufacturing
This embedded manufacturing strategy represents a big shift in how the navy thinks about drone procurement.
Conventional protection contracts imply ordering tools, ready for it to be manufactured someplace distant, transport it abroad and hoping it arrives once you want it. That mannequin works positive for some issues, however FPV drones for navy use are totally different. They’re comparatively easy to construct, they’re expendable by design and battlefield wants change quickly.
By establishing manufacturing capabilities nearer to the place drones might be used, the Military can reply sooner to evolving threats, scale back logistical vulnerabilities, and provides troopers the power to iterate on designs primarily based on real-world suggestions. It’s agile manufacturing meets navy operations.
This strategy additionally addresses provide chain safety considerations. By manufacturing drones in-theater with NDAA-compliant parts, the Military reduces dependence on doubtlessly susceptible worldwide provide chains.
What’s Draganfly?
Draganfly was based in 1998 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Draganfly was constructing professional-grade drones when most of us have been nonetheless taking part in with RC helicopters.
The corporate went public in 2019 (NASDAQ: DPRO) and has been a gentle participant within the skilled drone market, specializing in public security, agriculture, industrial inspections and more and more, protection purposes. Draganfly’s drones have appeared within the Smithsonian’s Nationwide Air and Area Museum, and the corporate was credited with the world’s first profitable search and rescue mission utilizing a small unmanned aerial system.
What’s FPV?
FPV — is brief for First Individual View. This model of flying was primarily the area of drone racing fanatics carrying goggles and flying custom-built quads by means of impediment programs at excessive speeds.
Now comes an instance of how improvements from the interest and racing world have crossed over into skilled and protection purposes.
As I’ve famous earlier than, many drone firms that began with client merchandise have pivoted towards enterprise and navy purposes. We’ve seen this with firms like Crimson Cat (mother or father firm of Teal), which bought off its FPV racing manufacturers Fats Shark and Rotor Riot to concentrate on protection. In the meantime, Skydio shut down its client division to focus on enterprise and navy clients. Even Parrot, which principally invented the buyer drone market with the AR.Drone, now focuses nearly solely on enterprise merchandise just like the ANAFI USA for presidency and navy use.
The shift is smart. Navy budgets are bigger and extra steady than client markets, safety necessities favor American producers, and up to date conflicts have confirmed that drones — notably FPV drones — are not non-compulsory battlefield tools.
What’s subsequent from right here?
If this pilot program succeeds, we might see comparable embedded manufacturing packages broaden to different areas and doubtlessly different navy branches. For instance, the Air Power has already proven curiosity in FPV know-how by means of its partnership with the Drone Racing League.
Whereas Draganfly hasn’t disclosed the monetary phrases of this preliminary order, the embedded manufacturing mannequin suggests this may very well be a long-term relationship slightly than a one-time buy. Coaching Military personnel to fabricate their very own drones means Draganfly is positioning itself as an ongoing companion slightly than only a vendor.
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