Agilis Air raises $1.4M to build low-cost military drones in Ohio
What's the deal? Youngstown-based Agilis AirDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised $1.4 million in early-stage funding to develop and manufacture low-cost, American-made drones and autonomy technologies. Backers include AgEagle Aerial SystemsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (NYSE: UAVS), North Coast VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Vici Capital, and the Ohio Innovation FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, alongside angel investors.
The company builds the Remora ARQ, a Group 1 first-person-view aircraft for reconnaissance and tactical missions. It costs $1,250 per unit, ships three weeks from order, and is produced in Ohio with a 100% NDAA-compliant US supply chain.
The product news: Alongside the round, Agilis said its Remora drone is now live on the US Army's UAS Marketplace, where Army units, government entities, and allies can buy approved systems directly. Agilis entered the Marketplace's Cleared tier — its highest onboarding phase — on the strength of its NDAA compliance.
Why now? The Pentagon has made small drones a national priority. The Department of War's Drone Dominance Program is directing $1.1 billion toward fielding hundreds of thousands of American-made small drones, with an affordability target of $2,300 per unit — well above Agilis's price.
What's the endgame? Agilis is competing in upcoming phases of the Drone Dominance Program and positioning Ohio as a hub for domestic drone production. "The next generation of deterrence belongs to whoever can field capable autonomous aircraft at the price of ammunition," said co-founder and executive chairman Yon Raz-Fridman.
The company was co-founded by chief executive officer Shawn Theiss, a UAV designer with more than 40 years in aviation who has delivered over 40 federal contracts and fielded more than 600 specialised drones. "Remora is the result — a rugged, affordable $1,250 platform that's intuitive to fly, rapidly repairable," Theiss said.
The signal: The $1.4 million round is modest — it sits in roughly the 27th percentile by amount — but it lands as US defence buyers push to replace imported drones with cheaper domestic hardware. Agilis is betting that price and a compliant supply chain, not scale of capital, are what win in this market.
Image credit: Agilis Air
