Located in San Luis Obispo, CA, Inspired Flight is a leading U.S. manufacturer of industrial drones. Inspired Flight excels at integrating multiple payloads and sensors and features a universal payload interface. It’s flexible platform is used in settings including critical infrastructure inspection, oil and gas, GIS mapping, military applications, specialized delivery, firefighting, government-based research, and more. The company is also NDAA-compliant and Blue sUAS certified, meaning it has been designated by the Defense Innovation Unit as a secure platform appropriate for government use.
Started in 2017 by Marc Stollmeyer, the company is now expanding under the experienced leadership of Marc’s father, CEO Rick Stollmeyer. DRONELIFE spoke to Stollmeyer about Inspired Flight’s commitment to US drone manufacturing – and how the industry is evolving to meet changing conditions.
Why Focus on U.S. Drone Manufacturing?
From its inception, Inspired Flight has prioritized U.S. manufacturing. As market needs develop and the lessons of the pandemic resonate, the company and Stollmeyer are increasingly focused on strengthening supply chains and the domestic drone manufacturing base.
“As someone who didn’t have a background in drones prior to 2018, it’s shocking to me how utterly dependent we are on Chinese manufacturing,” Stollmeyer says, holding up his iPhone. “There are very few things we use in our daily lives that are not dependent upon that supply chain – and that’s just untenable, especially for something that could be critical to our national security.”
“I believe that we see ourselves in the midst of three giant crises: climate crises, the hollowing out of the middle class due to offshoring, and a geopolitical crisis mirroring the 1930s. If you take these three crises, relearning how to manufacture things in the United States really addresses all of these,” he says. “That’s the purpose of Inspired Flight.”
The Challenges – and Opportunities – of Developing a New Supply Chain
Stollmeyer acknowledges that developing a secure supply chain is challenging, but also presents major opportunities for new businesses. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) compliance and Blue sUAS certification require that the compute, transmission, and software components of the aircraft are not developed in China. However, it can be difficult to source all components outside of China and still compete on price with Chinese-manufactured drones.
“We’re currently able to produce our drones from about 70 percent outside of the Chinese supply chain. Products like lithium polymer cells are hard to get outside of China, but new manufacturers are emerging that will be ready in another year or two.
Our goal is to be entirely outside of the Chinese supply chain – because you have no way of knowing when that supply chain will be disrupted due to cold war, hot war, or trade restrictions.”
Despite the challenges, Stollmeyer is confident about the future, commenting that new businesses are rapidly stepping up to fill supply chain needs. Battery manufacturing systems are accelerating in the U.S., he points out: and manufacturers are developing strong partnerships in Vietnam, Mexico, and Canada. “Mexico is a North American regional powerhouse,” he says. “We can bet strongly on our supply chain in Mexico.
That being said, most of the final assembly and value add is happening in the U.S. We’re committed to that.”
Building Resilience into the Manufacturing Process
While some manufacturers have struggled to scale to meet demand, Inspired Flight supports its exponential growth by building resilience into the U.S.-based manufacturing process. Instead of relying on short term sourcing, the company now strategically stockpiles parts to ensure they can scale production.
“We’re building resiliency into our manufacturing process, getting quarters ahead. We saw the importance of this during recurring lockdowns in China. It could sometimes come down to an 18-cent component which would suddenly be subject to an 18-month time delay. ‘Just in time’ manufacturing has had to be flipped on its head in the post-COVID world,” says Stollmeyer.
What’s Next for the Drone Industry and Inspired Flight?
Stollmeyer sees major developments emerging in the drone ecosystem. “Sensor technologies are becoming better, lighter, and less expensive, opening up more missions for sUAS. Ground control, radio technologies that enable Command and Control, and utilization of 5G and LTE networks are all improving rapidly,” he says. “Obstacle avoidance is getting better – and of course, computing gets better, faster, and cheaper all the time.”
These rapidly emerging innovations are keeping Inspired Flight focused on agility in development. Stollmeyer points out that the company was able to develop their latest aircraft, the IF800 Tomcat, from concept to release in a year – a timeframe unthinkable in other industries.
Stollmeyer is clearly proud of the growing team and excited about new developments at Inspired Flight. The company is expanding its facilities in San Luis Obispo and plans to expand manufacturing into other U.S. states. Product development is a closely held secret, but Stollmeyer teases future developments: “These are flying robots. Software critically matters. We’re going to be releasing some important software,” he says.
How the U.S. Industry Can Grow
As the U.S. faces new geopolitical pressures and continued efforts to legislate against Chinese-manufactured drones, a new US-based drone industry is emerging. Stollmeyer says that for that industry to succeed, innovation and collaboration are key.
“It’s time for the drone industry to really come together. There are going to be multiple winners in this space. There is too much small thinking,” he says. “Co-opetition drives innovation – Microsoft developed the user interface for Apple first. We’re only going to succeed by recognizing that we need a vibrant industry of multiple players.”
By focusing on resilience, collaboration, and innovation, Inspired Flight and other U.S. drone manufacturers are well-positioned to build a strong and secure domestic drone industry – increasingly important to users in both commercial and government arenas.
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