All drone enthusiasts out there will know just how diluted the drone market has become with cheap products made overseas that last all of five minutes before breaking. Well, in this article, I’ll be looking at drones made in the USA.
Do Any Brands Sell Drones Made in the USA? (The Short Answer)
After plenty of research, I was able to find a few companies that reliably manufacture drones in the USA. They are Aero Systems West, Skydio, and Vintage Robotics.
American Made Drones (What My Research Turned Up)
Now that we know which companies offer American-made drones let’s look at them in a little more detail.
Aero Systems West
Aero Systems West was founded in 2015, and in a fairly short period of time, the company has managed to establish itself as a high-quality and reliable American drone manufacturer. The company offers drones for both governmental use and civilian use.
It is worth noting that Aero Systems West’s drones are not for casual drone hobbyists. Its products are designed for work purposes. From surveying land to carrying heavy objects, Aero Systems West’s drones are for the big boys!
As for its manufacturing, I could only find one location that the company operates in. It’s a facility located in San Martin, California. Also, Aero Systems West’s LinkedIn profile, clearly states that it is a US-based drone manufacturer in California. So I believe that the company manufactures its drones in the USA as I could find no information about the company operating overseas.
For those wanting to take a look at some of Aero Systems West’s drones, here are the models that it currently has available for purchase.
Skydio
Skydio was founded in 2014. In March 2021, Skydio became the first US drone manufacturer to exceed $1 billion in value. This is a very impressive feat when you consider just how many American drone manufacturers there are.
Its headquarters is located in San Mateo, California, and from the information I could find, it looks like Skydio manufactures its products at a facility in Hayward, California. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out much regarding where the company sources its materials, but it looks like some of its components may come from overseas.
Skydio offers drones for law enforcement, battle surveillance & reconnaissance, outdoor enthusiasts, and much more. Here are a couple of its drones that are made for drone enthusiasts.
Vintage Robotics
Vintage Robotics was founded in 2013. It’s an American robotics company based in San Leandro, California. According to the company’s about us page, it strives to manufacture the safest and most powerful flying camera drones that the world has ever seen.
The company carries out its designing, manufacturing, and servicing in Silicon Valley. Its drones are made by a small team of highly trained engineers who work tirelessly to manufacture some of the highest-quality drones on the American market.
At the time of writing this article, Vintage Robotics offers two different drone lines. They are as follows.
By reading through Vintage Robotics’ website, it looks like the company has big plans for the future. It is definitely a company that drone enthusiasts should keep an eye on.
Honorable Mentions
I came across a company that produces its products primarily in China. However, it does conduct a small percentage of its manufacturing in the USA. Here’s what I found.
Autel Robotics
As mentioned above, Autel Robotics primarily manufactures its products in China. However, at least one of its drone lines is manufactured in the US so it gets an honorable mention.
Autel Robotics manufactures its EVO II Dual in the USA. It is made with domestic and international parts and labor. That said, according to a trustworthy drone news site, for it to qualify as being American-made, at least 75% of the drone’s production and parts are sourced from within the USA.
Drones that Are Commonly Mistaken as Being Made in the USA
I came across a company that people confuse as being an American manufacturer. I also came across one company that has since gone out of business yet there are numerous articles stating that it still manufactures American-made drones. Here’s what I found.
Vortex Edge
Vortex Edge is a well-known drone manufacturer. The company offers drones and surveillance systems for a wide array of purposes.
While doing the research for this article, I encountered a handful of articles that clearly label the company as being an American manufacturer. However, this simply isn’t the case. It looks like its manufacturing is primarily carried out in Malaysia. It is unclear where the third-party articles got their information from.
Terra View
Terra View used to manufacture drones up until it went out of business in May 2022. According to its website, due to supply chain issues over the Covid-19 pandemic, Terra View wasn’t able to manufacture its products efficiently and has had to cease operations.
While this information is readily available, I came across three different third-party articles stating that Terra View currently manufactures its drones in the US. Whether the articles were just outdated or not was unclear, but Terra View sadly no longer makes drones.
It is still possible to get hold of a Terra View drone through second-hand sales sites like eBay. Although I wouldn’t recommend this as it is always best to buy expensive items like drones, new from the manufacturers.
A Question For The Readers
As I was doing the research for this article, I came across lots of American drone manufacturers. However, very few of them made drones for regular consumer use. If there are any readers out there who know of American-made drones that are geared toward regular consumer use then let us know by leaving a comment below. Your comments help to keep our articles up to date with the latest information.
