Ohio-based defence startup Agilis Air has launched pre-manufacturing of low-cost drones to help address a widening supply gap as US Department of Defense demand continues to outpace existing production capacity.
The company announced plans to pre-build 55 Remora drones—compact, modular systems designed for rapid deployment—using grant funding from the YBI ENGINE Tech Incubator, the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace & Defense, and the federally backed YBI Rising Tides Initiative.
By using 3D-printed airframes and domestically sourced components, Agilis Air aims to drastically reduce delivery timelines, cutting the transition from production to operational use from months to just days.
The company said the initiative responds to a looming challenge as the US military prepares for a 2026 drone procurement mandate that could drive demand to around 1,000 units per month, or more than 10,000 annually—well beyond current supply and cost benchmarks.
The Remora platform is designed to meet Pentagon objectives of a unit cost below $2,000 and rapid scalability, compared with typical small drone prices of approximately $7,000 and lead times of up to three months. The effort also seeks to reinforce domestic supply chains and expand US capacity for fast, low-cost drone manufacturing.
In parallel, the US government has increasingly turned to smaller, innovative firms for defence procurement. In March 2025, the Defense Innovation Unit selected AeroVironment, Dragoon Technology, Swan, and Auterion to develop long-range, one-way unmanned prototypes under the Artemis program.
The contracts support development of loitering munitions capable of operating in contested environments at ranges exceeding 50 kilometres. More recently, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Palladyne AI a contract to advance swarming and integrated autonomy through its SwarmOS software, enabling coordinated operations across air, maritime, and space domains.
