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 provide Flex FPV drone methods.
However right here’s the place it will get attention-grabbing: as an alternative of simply delivery bins of drones from factories again dwelling, Draganfly will assist set up on-site manufacturing amenities 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
In case you’ve been following the evolution of drone warfare (and in case you’re studying this web site, you most likely have), you already know that FPV drones have essentially modified trendy fight. We’ve seen this play out dramatically in Ukraine, the place low cost, nimble FPV drones have challenged conventional army {hardware} in ways in which appeared like science fiction only a few years in the past. And the U.S. army has been paying very shut consideration.
Through the Swift Response 2025 train in Lithuania earlier this yr, paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade flew and detonated their very own in-house-built FPV drones in opposition to 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 army drones.
And in August 2025, the U.S. Military achieved a major milestone: the first-ever air-to-air kill with an armed FPV drone, signaling that drone-on-drone warfare is turning into a actuality.
What Draganfly will do
Beneath this preliminary order, Draganfly will ship three key parts:
- Flex FPV drone methods designed for high-performance army operations.
- On-site manufacturing capabilities inside abroad U.S. Forces amenities to hurry up deployment and minimize 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 vital drone capabilities nearer to entrance strains,” mentioned 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 method represents a major shift in how the army thinks about drone procurement.
Conventional protection contracts imply ordering gear, ready for it to be manufactured someplace far-off, delivery it abroad and hoping it arrives while you want it. That mannequin works advantageous for some issues, however FPV drones for army 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 shall be used, the Military can reply sooner to evolving threats, cut back logistical vulnerabilities, and provides troopers the flexibility to iterate on designs primarily based on real-world suggestions. It’s agile manufacturing meets army operations.
This method additionally addresses provide chain safety issues. By manufacturing drones in-theater with NDAA-compliant parts, the Military reduces dependence on probably 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 had been nonetheless enjoying with RC helicopters.
The corporate went public in 2019 (NASDAQ: DPRO) and has been a gradual participant within the skilled drone market, specializing in public security, agriculture, industrial inspections and more and more, protection functions. Draganfly’s drones have appeared within the Smithsonian’s Nationwide Air and House 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 Particular person View. This model of flying was once primarily the area of drone racing fans carrying goggles and flying custom-built quads by impediment programs at excessive speeds.
Now comes an instance of how improvements from the passion and racing world have crossed over into skilled and protection functions.
As I’ve famous earlier than, many drone corporations that began with shopper merchandise have pivoted towards enterprise and army functions. We’ve seen this with corporations like Pink Cat (mother or father firm of Teal), which offered off its FPV racing manufacturers Fats Shark and Rotor Riot to give attention to protection. In the meantime, Skydio shut down its shopper division to focus on enterprise and army 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 army use.
The shift is smart. Army budgets are bigger and extra steady than shopper markets, safety necessities favor American producers, and up to date conflicts have confirmed that drones — significantly FPV drones — are not non-compulsory battlefield gear.
What’s subsequent from right here?
If this pilot program succeeds, we may see comparable embedded manufacturing packages broaden to different areas and probably different army branches. For instance, the Air Pressure has already proven curiosity in FPV know-how by 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 might be a long-term relationship relatively than a one-time buy. Coaching Military personnel to fabricate their very own drones means Draganfly is positioning itself as an ongoing accomplice relatively than only a vendor.
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