Orqa U.S. is headquartered in Oakland, California, while production operations will be based at By Light’s 180,000-square-foot defense manufacturing facility in Port Orange, Florida. The company said full-rate production capability is expected by October 2026.
According to the announcement, Orqa U.S. will comply with National Defense Authorization Act and American Security Drone Act requirements. The company also stated that it is committed to full U.S. onshoring of production activities.
Charles Phillips, chief executive officer of Orqa U.S., said the company’s technology had already been tested in demanding operational conditions. “For the past decade, Orqa has been building and refining UAS technology in the most demanding operational environments on earth. Our systems have been tested and validated under real combat conditions,” Phillips said.
“That experience has generated extraordinary demand from U.S. defense customers who want the same proven capability,” he added. “The founding of Orqa U.S. is our answer to that demand: a fully American entity, built on American soil, creating jobs for American citizens, delivering world class UAS systems without compromise on security, compliance, or performance.”
The company said the new venture was created to support emerging U.S. Department of War programs and contracting pathways focused on rapidly fielding low-cost aerial robotic systems. These initiatives include the Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program.
Orqa U.S. said its board of directors is composed solely of U.S. citizens. The company also plans to use By Light’s expertise to operate a Cyber Security Maturity Model Certification-compliant information technology infrastructure.
Production activities will be centred at By Light’s Port Orange facility, which includes drone assembly and integration lines, advanced manufacturing equipment, CNC machining and composites fabrication capabilities. The facility also contains certified testing and quality control processes.
According to the companies, the site operates as a designated Port of Entry with on-site customs capabilities. Orqa U.S. said this structure is intended to support rapid delivery in response to operational requirements.
