The publication stated that “the United States is light years behind its opponents” in the production of military drones, and the task of Firestorm Labs from San Diego (California) is to solve this problem.
The company has developed two of its own drones (Tempest and Hurricane) and a mobile xCell factory measuring 20 feet (about 6.1 meters), which is supposedly capable of producing “virtually any model of drones or their components” using HP industrial printers installed inside, the media writes.
It notes that setting up such a factory will require two to four people, and its productivity will be 17 small and medium-sized drones per week.
In 2024, Firestorm won a $100 million contract with the US Air Force to research and develop unmanned aerial systems. In 2025, the company raised $47 million in funding from various companies, including Lockheed Martin Ventures.
In an interview with Business Insider, Firestorm co-founder and chief development officer Chad McCoy said that “logistics is the way to win the war.” He also believes that giving more power to the US military “will completely change the game.”
According to Bobby Sakaki, CEO of UAS Nexus, a drone consultant, Chinese companies led by
The publication recalls that now only one Chinese company, DJI, produces tens of millions of drones per year, while the United States seriously lacks components to increase the potential of its drones.
Firestorm already has several xCells in the US and plans to deploy one in early 2026 “somewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, stretching from the US West Coast to India and from Antarctica to the North Pole, the media explained.
