Ohio-based defence startup Agilis Air has launched pre-manufacturing of low-cost unmanned aerial systems to help address a widening shortfall in US military drone supply, as demand from the Department of Defense continues to outstrip existing production capacity.
The company announced it will pre-build 55 Remora drones — compact, modular systems designed for rapid fielding — using grant support from the YBI ENGINE Tech Incubator, the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace & Defense, and the federally backed YBI Rising Tides Initiative.
By leveraging 3D-printed airframes and domestically sourced components, Agilis Air aims to compress delivery timelines from months to just days, enabling faster transition from production to operational use.
According to the company, the initiative directly responds to the Pentagon’s anticipated 2026 drone mandate, which could drive demand to approximately 1,000 units per month, or more than 10,000 annually — far exceeding current supply levels and cost benchmarks.
The Remora platform is designed to meet US Department of Defense targets for a unit price below $2,000 and scalable rapid production, in contrast to typical small-drone costs of around $7,000 and lead times stretching up to three months.
Beyond meeting near-term military requirements, the effort also seeks to reinforce US industrial supply chains and expand domestic capacity for affordable, high-volume drone manufacturing.
In parallel, the US government has increasingly turned to smaller, innovative companies for advanced defence technologies. In March 2025, the Defense Innovation Unit selected AeroVironment, Dragoon Technology LLC, Swan, and Auterion to develop long-range, one-way unmanned platform prototypes under the Artemis programme.
The Artemis contracts focus on loitering munitions capable of operating in contested environments at ranges exceeding 50 kilometres. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory recently awarded Palladyne AI a contract to advance swarming and integrated autonomy capabilities through its SwarmOS software, enabling coordinated operations across air, maritime, and space domains.
