Unveiled at Xponential 2026, Hoverfly Elements delivers compliant, high-performance drone components — backed by over a decade of experience in the DoD
, /PRNewswire/ — Hoverfly Technologies, the world’s leading US-based tethered UAS provider, today announced the official launch of Hoverfly Elements — a purpose-built line of NDAA-compliant drone components designed to meet the rigorous demands of defense and commercial UAS manufacturers. The announcement comes as the U.S. drone components market, valued at approximately $5.9 billion in 2025, is projected to exceed $14.4 billion by 2033, driven in large part by accelerating federal demand for verified, non-Chinese supply chains.
A LANDMARK DEBUT AT XPONENTIAL 2026
Elements is a new business division and brand under the Hoverfly company, focusing solely on defense drone components, the critical “elements” for the surging UAS industry. Initial offerings include drone motors and ESCs under the Motors suite–powered by KRM, and GPS modules – powered by Septentrio.
The launch of Elements at Xponential 2026 generated immediate and sustained attention from across the drone industry. The Hoverfly booth, beaming in bright orange, became a hub for substantive dialogue, drawing in program managers, systems integrators, procurement officers, OEM leaders, and defense technology innovators throughout the duration of the event. Conversations ranged from near-term procurement opportunities to long-range collaboration on custom component integration, with consistent enthusiasm around the timing and necessity of a domestically oriented, compliance-first component solution.
“Xponential confirmed what we already knew: the market is urgently looking for exactly what we’ve built,” said Steve Walters, CEO of Hoverfly Technologies. “Industry leaders, potential partners, and key decision-makers came to our booth not just out of curiosity, they came with real problems that Hoverfly Elements is designed to solve. The energy was unlike anything we’ve experienced at a trade show.”
FILLING A CRITICAL GAP
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings have fundamentally reshaped the drone component landscape. While previously dominant in the UAS supply chain, Chinese-manufactured components are no longer viable for an expanding class of federal, defense, and critical infrastructure applications. The result is a significant and underserved demand for trustworthy, verified, non-Chinese alternatives.
Additionally, the recent Drone Dominance Program (DDP) Supply Chain Framework mandates phased, component-level non-covered-country sourcing across $6.6 billion in sUAS procurement—tightening from NCC assembly in August 2026 to full domestic traceability by August 2027. Suppliers that cannot demonstrate compliance will be locked out entirely. Hoverfly Elements is built for exactly this environment.
Backed by strategic investment and support from Korea Robot Manufacturing (KRM), the Elements Motor line combines allied-sourced Korean motor manufacturing with Hoverfly’s domestic drone expertise, creating a supply chain that is both compliant and credible. These motors satisfy DDP Supply Chain Framework Phase 2 requirements at launch and an active on-shoring roadmap targets Phase 3 and 4 domestic production standards, laying the groundwork for fully domestic component production at scale. The result is a suite of compliant, high-performance propulsion solutions, “powered by KRM.”
PRECISION NAVIGATION
Beyond motors and ESCs, reliable positioning is another mission-critical feature for defense UAS operations. Hoverfly Elements addresses this through a strategic collaboration with Septentrio, a Hexagon company, in the development of high-integrity GPS modules. Leveraging Septentrio’s industry-leading chipsets, these modules deliver multi-band, multi-constellation GNSS performance with robust anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities, purpose-built for the demanding environments where defense drones operate. Concerning the DDP Supply Chain Framework, these GPS modules are engineered for NCC receiver and firmware auditability ahead of the February 2027 deadline.
This collaboration is a cornerstone of the Elements GPS offerings, ensuring that positioning solutions are not only high-performing but verifiably compliant with NDAA and Blue UAS security standards.
THE FORGE: A DECADE INSIDE THE DOD
Here is the truth: Many companies manufacture drone components; few have spent over a decade embedded within the Department of Defense, understanding what compliance, security, and operational reliability actually require.
Hoverfly Technologies built its reputation by operating within DoD structures, not selling to them from the outside. That institutional knowledge is the foundation of Hoverfly Elements. The company has deep, firsthand experience with the Blue UAS framework, the DoD’s verification program for trusted, non-Chinese UAS, and is routing all Hoverfly Elements components through this rigorous verification pipeline. Every component that carries the Hoverfly Elements name has been designed with Blue UAS compliance as a baseline, not an afterthought.
THREE PILLARS
Hoverfly Elements is built on three foundational principles that reflect what defense and commercial operators need most:
- Compliance: Every component is engineered to meet NDAA requirements, FCC mandates, and the Blue UAS verification framework.
- Performance: Allied and domestic manufacturing partnerships ensure that compliance does not come at the cost of capability.
- Deployment: Speed-to-field matters. Hoverfly Elements is built with supply chain reliability and time-to-delivery as core design constraints, ensuring that operators can get what they need, when they need it, without compromise.
LOOKING AHEAD
The launch of drone motors, ESCs, and GPS modules is only the beginning. Hoverfly Technologies has an active roadmap to expand the Elements product offerings across the full spectrum of critical drone components. Among the near-term additions under development are tether kits, enabling persistent, tethered drone operations that are increasingly in demand for ISR, perimeter security, and extended-duration missions.
Beyond off-the-shelf components, Hoverfly Elements is built to serve OEM partners directly. The company is actively engaging original equipment manufacturers to offer custom component design and integration services, delivering compliant, performance-verified components tailored to specific airframe and mission requirements. For OEMs navigating NDAA procurement constraints while trying to maintain competitive performance, Elements offers a single, trusted partner with the engineering depth to deliver.
SUMMARY
At Xponential 2026, Hoverfly Technologies launched Hoverfly Elements, a new business division dedicated to producing NDAA-compliant and Blue UAS-ready drone components for the U.S. defense and commercial markets.
Key Highlights:
- The Catalyst: Capitalizes on a surging U.S. drone component market—projected to grow from $5.9B in 2025 to $14.4B by 2033—driven by federal mandates banning Chinese supply chains.
- Propulsion: Partnered with Korea Robot Manufacturing (KRM) for allied-sourced motors and ESCs, with an active roadmap to transition production to U.S.-based facilities.
- Navigation: Collaborated with Septentrio to deliver high-integrity GPS modules featuring robust anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities.
- Future Roadmap: Expanding into persistent tether kits for long-duration ISR missions and offering custom component design for drone original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
About Hoverfly Technologies
Hoverfly Technologies is a leading provider of tethered drone systems for defense and security. As a Blue UAS Cleared manufacturer, Hoverfly’s technology enables 24/7 situational awareness and secure communications in the most demanding combat environments.
About Korea Robot Manufacturing (KRM)
Korea Robot Manufacturing (KRM) is a leading manufacturer of high-precision motors, actuators, electronic speed controllers (ESCs), and flight controllers (FCs) for robotics, UAVs, and autonomous systems. Leveraging a trusted non-Chinese supply chain and advanced manufacturing capabilities, KRM supports next-generation autonomous platforms worldwide while expanding its U.S. manufacturing presence.
SOURCE Hoverfly Technologies Inc.
