The future of manufacturing drones might be changing.

‍What’s happening:‍

  • San Diego, California based drone startup Firestorm Labs has raised $12M USD in a new funding round to accelerate the development of 3D printing drones for military purposes

The big idea:‍

  • Firestorm Labs is building miniature 3D drone printing facilities that can fit inside a shipping container
  • By having a small operational footprint, Firestorm Labs is aiming to be able to rapidly build and deploy drones for combat purposes in remote locations where having larger manufacturing infrastructure would be impossible
  • Firestorm’s small portable 3D printing facilities, which are known as an xCell, can produce one new drone per day by leveraging additive manufacturing, automation and robotics

By the numbers:‍

  • Firestorm’s flagship drone known as the Tempest is 6 feet long and can carry payloads of up to 55 pounds

Going deeper:‍

  • Firestorm Labs has multiple notable backers, including Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and even the Pentagon
  • Military technology company Red Cat Holdings (NASDAQ: RCAT) also previously invested in Firestorm

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