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robotics/news//Washington Examiner
The announcement comes amid heightened warnings from U.S. officials about foreign threats to American innovation.
A new initiative aims to onshore production of drone parts, including motors, batteries, and microchips.
KEY POINTS
Skydio's investment will create thousands of jobs in California and potentially other states.
The White House tech adviser warned China is actively attempting to steal U.S. AI advances.
Federal efforts now prioritize securing supply chains for robotics and AI-enabled systems in the U.S.
The announcement comes amid heightened warnings from U.S. officials about foreign threats to American innovation.
A memo circulated this week by White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios warned that China has been actively attempting to steal United States advances in AI, raising concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities.
Bry emphasized that the global drone market has been dominated by foreign manufacturers, many based in China.
“It’s just untenable to be dependent on our adversaries for technology this important,” he said.
A central component of the investment is a new initiative aimed at “onshoring” production of drone parts, including motors, batteries, and microchips. The effort seeks to build a fully domestic supply chain for robotics and AI-enabled systems, reducing reliance on overseas manufacturing hubs.
“It’s not a mystery that right now, the world-leading manufacturing ecosystem for electronics is in China,” Bry said. “But there’s no law of physics that says it has to be that way.”
Bry said the investment will create thousands of jobs, primarily in California, where the company is based, but will also look nationally.
Kratsios, who attended the announcement event, called the announcement “a real turning point” for U.S. industrial policy, tying it to broader federal efforts to secure supply chains and strengthen domestic manufacturing.
“We are going to ensure that the most advanced, most reliable and most trusted systems in the world are built here in the United States,” he said, describing domestic production as a “national security imperative.”
Drone technology is increasingly linked to broader geopolitical competition with China, particularly as AI-driven systems become integral to military, infrastructure, and public safety operations.
Skydio drones are already used by U.S. military branches, law enforcement agencies, and infrastructure operators, driving demand for expanded domestic production.
US MILITARY SITES DEPLOY DRONES FOR SECURITY AS RECRUITMENT FLUCTUATES
President Donald Trump has pushed for what he has dubbed “drone dominance,” signing an executive order that seeks to build a strong domestic drone sector.