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Yesterday the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit gave its blessing to five companies to sell preapproved drones to the military and federal agencies. DJI is not on the list, because Washington considers the Chinese company’s drones a security risk.
- Skydio’s X2-D. On July 15, I wrote: “Skydio is emerging as the de facto drone rival to China’s DJI by focusing on autonomous software.”
- Parrot’s Anafi USA. French startup Parrot exited the consumer toy drone market last year to focus on enterprise and government flying robots.
- Altavian’s M440 Ion. By the looks of its website, Altavian is focused on military sales.
- Teal Drones’ Golden Eagle. Ibid.
- Vantage Robotics’ Vesper. I’m a broken record: Ibid.
Competitive context: Hardware is hard—and the business model is harder in the U.S. DJI's hardware excellence and lower production costs have propelled it past American competitors in the consumer space. Many American drone startups have pivoted to services and software.
What I’m wondering: Will creating a stronger domestic government market generate positive spillovers in the consumer space? Or will specific American companies supply drones to the U.S. government and Fortune 500 companies—while DJI rules the consumer roost?