Orqa U.S.
About
About Orqa U.S.
Orqa U.S. was established in May 2026 as an independent, U.S.-owned venture with its own U.S.-citizen board. It is headquartered in Oakland and serves as the authorized provider of Orqa technology to U.S. government customers. Orqa contributes drone technology, while By Light supports domestic manufacturing and compliance at its 180,000-square-foot Port Orange, Florida facility. The U.S. company is separate from Croatian Orqa; the launch source describes independent control rather than a wholly owned Croatian subsidiary.
Its selected Drone Dominance Gauntlet II system comes from the MRM2 suite and combines an eight-inch indoor drone with Orqa’s ground-control system. In October 2026, Orqa U.S. disclosed a $38 million manufacturing award after an earlier $1.5 million award under which it delivered 240 drones. The new award supports expanded U.S. production; its value is procurement rather than company financing, and completed deliveries under the new award were not reported.
Operations
Output & shipments
- Deliveries
2026-10-13 - Orqa U.S. disclosed that it had delivered 240 drones under an earlier $1.5M award. Exact delivery dates were not stated. - Earlier $1.5M award only; not the new $38M award
Source
Team
- Rodney D. Lewis - Board Director
- Charles Phillips - Chief Executive Officer - Leads Orqa U.S. and its expansion of American-made unmanned aircraft production for U.S. government and defense customers.
Timeline
Events
- 2026-10-13 - Contract Award - Orqa U.S. wins $38M Drone Dominance manufacturing award
The selected MRM2 configuration pairs an eight-inch indoor drone with Orqa’s ground-control system. By Light will manufacture the systems at its 180,000-square-foot Port Orange, Florida facility. The award follows 240 drones delivered under an earlier $1.5 million award and a second-place Close Quarters competition result.
Source - 2026-05-06 - Company Formation - Orqa U.S. launches independent American drone venture
The new venture is headquartered in Oakland, with production anchored at By Light’s Port Orange, Florida facility. Its independent board consists solely of U.S. citizens, with a planned CMMC-compliant IT infrastructure.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- U.S. Department of Defense
Commercial Order - $38M Drone Dominance Gauntlet II manufacturing award; earlier $1.5M award delivered 240 drones.
- Orqa
Partner - Orqa provides drone technology to independently controlled Orqa U.S.; By Light supports U.S. manufacturing and compliance.
Context
Market context
Orqa U. S. is a U. -owned, independently controlled drone company supplying American-made unmanned aerial systems to U. government customers. Established with Orqa and By Light, it combines Orqa drone technology with By Light’s U. manufacturing and compliance capabilities.
Commercial
- Orqa U.S. wins $38M Drone Dominance manufacturing award
2026-10-13 · Order / contract · Orqa U.S. received a $38 million award to manufacture drones for the U.S. Drone Dominance Gauntlet II programme, expanding domestic production of the MRM2 system. · $38M award/order
Source