Agilis Air has raised $1.4 million in early funding to expand production of its American-made Remora drone and continue development of autonomous UAS technologies in Northeast Ohio. The company also announced that the Remora has entered the U.S. Army’s UAS Marketplace, making the system available for direct purchase by Army units, U.S. government entities and allies.
The funding round includes AgEagle Aerial Systems, North Coast Ventures, Vici Capital and angel investors and will support manufacturing expansion, certifications and deliveries associated with the company’s Army pipeline.
Agilis Air Autonomous Drones Target U.S. Defense Market
Agilis Air develops low-cost, modular unmanned aircraft and autonomy technologies for defense applications.
Its initial platform, the Remora ARQ, is a Group 1 first-person-view aircraft designed for reconnaissance and tactical missions.
According to Agilis, the Remora:
- Costs $1,250 per aircraft
- Ships approximately three weeks after ordering
- Is manufactured in Ohio
- Uses a 100% U.S. supply chain
- Is NDAA compliant
- Is designed for reconnaissance and tactical missions
The company is positioning the aircraft as an affordable, attritable UAS that can be manufactured domestically at scale.
“I’ve spent nearly 30 years building drones for defense customers and learning what works in the field,” said Agilis Air CEO and co-founder Shawn Theiss.
“Remora is the result—a rugged, affordable $1,250 platform that’s intuitive to fly, rapidly repairable, and engineered to deliver dependable performance when it matters most.”
Remora Enters U.S. Army UAS Marketplace
Agilis Air has also been accepted into the U.S. Army’s UAS Marketplace.
According to the company, the Remora entered the Marketplace’s Cleared tier based on its established NDAA compliance.
The Marketplace provides a mechanism through which Army units can directly purchase approved unmanned systems.
Agilis also plans to compete in future phases of the Drone Dominance Program. The company said the Remora’s $1,250 unit price is below the program’s $2,300 affordability target.
Funding Supports Ohio Drone Manufacturing
The $1.4 million funding round includes investments from:
- AgEagle Aerial Systems
- North Coast Ventures
- Vici Capital
- Angel investors
Agilis plans to use the capital to increase production of the Remora at its Youngstown, Ohio, facility.
Funding will also support completion of certifications and deliveries associated with the company’s Army pipeline.
“America invented flight in Ohio, and Ohio is where America’s drone industrial base should be rebuilt,” said Yon Raz-Fridman, co-founder and executive chairman of Agilis Air.
“The next generation of deterrence belongs to whoever can field capable autonomous aircraft at the price of ammunition—thousands of them, built here, not imported.”
Agilis Developing GPS-Denied Drone Autonomy
Agilis Air is also developing autonomous technologies beyond the Remora airframe.
The company is working on onboard autonomy intended for GPS-denied environments as well as an intelligence software stack designed to integrate with the Army’s networked unmanned-systems ecosystem.
The development strategy positions Agilis as both a drone manufacturer and an autonomy technology company.
Its future technology work is expected to combine:
- Onboard autonomy
- GPS-denied operations
- Intelligence software
- Networked unmanned systems
- Modular UAS hardware
AgEagle Backs Agilis Drone Development
AgEagle Aerial Systems participated in the funding round and sees the Remora as complementary to its own unmanned aircraft portfolio.
“Supporting companies pushing the boundaries of American drone technology is core to our mission, and Agilis is exactly that,” said Bill Irby, CEO of EagleNXT.
“Their low-cost, American-made quadcopters are the natural complement to our Group 1 fixed-wing systems—together they give defense customers a full multi-domain unmanned capability, from long-endurance ISR to affordable, attritable tactical aircraft.”
Founders Bring Drone and Technology Experience
Agilis Air was co-founded by Theiss and Raz-Fridman.
According to the company, Theiss has more than 40 years of aviation experience and approximately three decades developing custom unmanned aircraft for U.S. defense customers.
Agilis said he has delivered more than 40 federal contracts and fielded more than 600 specialized drones through his previous work.
Raz-Fridman has spent approximately 15 years building venture-backed software and hardware companies, including one company acquired in 2025.
Northeast Ohio Supports UAS Manufacturing Expansion
Agilis’ early development received support from the Youngstown Business Incubator’s ENGINE technology incubator and the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace & Defense.
North Coast Ventures identified Northeast Ohio’s existing aerospace workforce and supply chain as factors supporting the company’s manufacturing strategy.
“The Pentagon has been clear about what it needs: affordable, attritable drones made in America, at scale,” said Todd Federman, Managing Director of North Coast Ventures.
“Agilis is one of the few teams with the cost structure and manufacturing depth to pull that off, and they’re doing it in Northeast Ohio, where the aerospace workforce and supply chain already exist.”
The $1.4 million investment will allow Agilis Air to increase Remora production while continuing development of GPS-denied autonomy and intelligence software as the company expands its U.S.-based drone manufacturing operations in Ohio.
Source: Press release from Agilis Air Inc.
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