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A drone factory in Utah is at the epicenter of anti-China fervor
TECH POLICY
A drone factory in Utah is at the epicenter of anti-China fervor
After struggling for years for survival, U.S. small drone manufacturers are getting a second shot, despite prices many times higher than China’s DJI
By Eva Dou
April 11, 2024 at 8:15 a.m. EDT
Teal founder George Matus poses for a portrait at the Teal Drones headquarters and factory in Salt Lake City on March 7, 2024. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
SALT LAKE CITY — When George Matus was in high school in Salt Lake City, he had a vision of small drones flitting at people’s shoulders to help them explore. At 17, he founded Teal Drones, named after a speedy breed of duck. ... “At the beginning, it was more focused on the joy of flight,” Matus said.
But after launching Teal Drones in 2015, Matus was soon struggling to keep it afloat. A drone-maker in China called DJI had dominated the global market with sleek, easy-to-use consumer drones at prices that were simply impossible for a U.S.-based company to match. ... At some point, Matus realized that if he wanted to keep his dream alive, he’d have to change the dream.
Today, Matus says Teal sells most of its drones to the Pentagon to help soldiers with reconnaissance, with other sales to municipal police departments and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“They’ve got our drones deployed on both borders,” he says). The company adopted the slogan “Dominate the Night” to tout its drones’ ability to spot targets in the dark. ... “Most of our focus is DOD (Department of Defense),” said Matus, now 26. “Since the invasion of Ukraine, it has become very clear that drones are incredibly impactful to war.”
From left, Jaxon Kirby and Steven Clarke build drone arms on the production line at the Teal Drones headquarters and factory in Salt Lake City. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
Nearly finished drones are lined up on the production line at the Teal Drones headquarters and factory in Salt Lake City. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
The U.S. small drone industry is experiencing a renaissance after having been all but given up for lost, due to the impossibility of competing with China on production costs. The reason for the resurgence is a grim one: Small drones have proven a potent battle tool in the Ukraine war, with soldiers strapping bombs on them and sending them on one-way missions.
{snip}
Kyle Nordfors, aviation specialist for the Weber County Deputy Sheriff, is photographed flying a DJI drone from the top of the sheriff’s office drone van used for search and rescue operations in Salt Lake City. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
{snip}
By Eva Dou
Eva Dou is a Washington-based reporter covering technology policy for the Washington Post. A Detroit native, she was previously China business reporter for the Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/evadou
A drone factory in Utah is at the epicenter of anti-China fervor
After struggling for years for survival, U.S. small drone manufacturers are getting a second shot, despite prices many times higher than China’s DJI
By Eva Dou
April 11, 2024 at 8:15 a.m. EDT
Teal founder George Matus poses for a portrait at the Teal Drones headquarters and factory in Salt Lake City on March 7, 2024. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
SALT LAKE CITY — When George Matus was in high school in Salt Lake City, he had a vision of small drones flitting at people’s shoulders to help them explore. At 17, he founded Teal Drones, named after a speedy breed of duck. ... “At the beginning, it was more focused on the joy of flight,” Matus said.
But after launching Teal Drones in 2015, Matus was soon struggling to keep it afloat. A drone-maker in China called DJI had dominated the global market with sleek, easy-to-use consumer drones at prices that were simply impossible for a U.S.-based company to match. ... At some point, Matus realized that if he wanted to keep his dream alive, he’d have to change the dream.
Today, Matus says Teal sells most of its drones to the Pentagon to help soldiers with reconnaissance, with other sales to municipal police departments and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“They’ve got our drones deployed on both borders,” he says). The company adopted the slogan “Dominate the Night” to tout its drones’ ability to spot targets in the dark. ... “Most of our focus is DOD (Department of Defense),” said Matus, now 26. “Since the invasion of Ukraine, it has become very clear that drones are incredibly impactful to war.”
From left, Jaxon Kirby and Steven Clarke build drone arms on the production line at the Teal Drones headquarters and factory in Salt Lake City. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
Nearly finished drones are lined up on the production line at the Teal Drones headquarters and factory in Salt Lake City. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
The U.S. small drone industry is experiencing a renaissance after having been all but given up for lost, due to the impossibility of competing with China on production costs. The reason for the resurgence is a grim one: Small drones have proven a potent battle tool in the Ukraine war, with soldiers strapping bombs on them and sending them on one-way missions.
{snip}
Kyle Nordfors, aviation specialist for the Weber County Deputy Sheriff, is photographed flying a DJI drone from the top of the sheriff’s office drone van used for search and rescue operations in Salt Lake City. (Kim Raff for The Washington Post)
{snip}
By Eva Dou
Eva Dou is a Washington-based reporter covering technology policy for the Washington Post. A Detroit native, she was previously China business reporter for the Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/evadou
Fall protection?
