DRONE MANUFACTURING TAKES ROOT IN CONNECTICUT
Aquiline Drones (AD) meets the increasing demand for “Made in America” drones by opening the first drone manufacturing and assembly plant in Connecticut. The Hartford-based aviation cloud-solutions provider and commercial drone manufacturer now produces Drone Volt”™s Altura Zenith and Hercules 2 drones ”“ re-branded by AD as the Spartacus line of drones: Spartacus Macks and Spartacus Hurricane.
Last year, AD signed exclusive U.S. manufacturing, sales and distribution licensing agreements with Drone Volt (ALDRV.PA), a French drone manufacturer of professional civilian drones. AD also entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Drone Volt and Aerialtronics through a 10% stock/equity swap with these entities. Under the terms of a five-year deal with Drone Volt, Aquiline Drones becomes the sole manufacturer of the Pensar smart camera ”“ a multispectral sensor, complete with artificial intelligence and edge computing capabilities, along with manufacturing the above-mentioned drones.
“Growing data security concerns over foreign-manufactured technology, mainly from China, has created an immediate need for increased drone production capacity in the United States,” said Barry Alexander, AD chairman and CEO. “Our goal is to not only position our country as a leader in the multibillion-dollar global drone industry, but also, to reestablish America”™s manufacturing dominance. This is in perfect harmony with our company”™s powerful strategic vision of making Connecticut the drone capital of the nation.”
Alexander notes that AD now has a team of 25 technicians working in its new 7,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, drone manufacturing and assembly lab. This manufacturing team projects to double in the coming weeks to address the rapidly accelerating market demand for American-made drones.
AD occupies 15,000 square feet in the Stark Building, a historic architectural landmark located in Hartford”™s financial district. The company is now constructing a street-level showroom and retail store for drones and sensors, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of various drone models. To address the economy”™s growing demand for commercial drone technologies, ADs company-wide manufacturing expansion plans include adding a second shift of production workers, moving into a larger facility in Bridgeport and sourcing of specific components from American-only suppliers.
AD”™s new venture comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice”™s (DOJ) announcement Oct. 9, 2020, officially banning the use of DOJ funds to purchase or operate any drone from ”˜covered foreign”™ countries. China is estimated to originate more than 70% of the global share of commercial-off-the-shelf drones.