Agilis Air Raises $1.4M for Low-Cost Army Drones

Agilis Air has raised $1.4 million in early funding to scale production of Remora, its small first-person-view drone, after the aircraft was accepted to the U.S. Army's UAS Marketplace. AgEagle Aerial Systems, now operating as EagleNXT, joined North Coast Ventures, Vici Capital, and individual angels in the round.

Agilis said it will use the capital to expand production at its Youngstown, Ohio facility, complete certification work, and deliver against its Army pipeline. The round is modest by defense technology standards. Its timing is the important part. Agilis has crossed the qualification threshold for an Army purchasing channel; it now has to show that access can become reliable production and repeat orders.

From marketplace approval to delivered aircraft

The Army launched its UAS Marketplace in February 2026 to give approved government buyers a faster way to compare and purchase qualified unmanned aircraft systems. By August, the Army said the broader marketplace had supported more than $750 million in sales.

That program-level figure is not Agilis revenue, nor does marketplace acceptance guarantee an order. It does show that the procurement channel is active. For a young manufacturer, being present at the point of purchase removes one barrier while making the next ones easier to see: production consistency, delivery speed, field support, and product improvement based on soldier feedback.

Agilis said Remora is available for direct purchase through the marketplace. The company is pitching the aircraft as a low-cost system for reconnaissance, training, and missions in contested or GPS-denied environments.

A low-cost drone built around domestic production

Remora is a Group 1 quadcopter with a listed top speed of 80 mph, flight time of 17 to 30 minutes, range of up to two miles, and payload capacity of up to four pounds. The product carries an IP54 rating, and Agilis says it uses a fully U.S.-based, NDAA-compliant supply chain. Pricing illustrates the company's operating goal as well as one point that needs context. The funding announcement described a $1,250 aircraft. Agilis's current product page lists the drone from $1,500 and a complete system at approximately $2,500. The current listing is the better reference for buyers, while the announcement's figure shows the cost range the company is targeting.

Keeping the system inexpensive is part of the product thesis. Small battlefield drones increasingly need to be capable without becoming too costly to replace. For Agilis, that means making domestic sourcing, useful performance, and repeatable assembly work inside a tight price envelope.

The team behind the manufacturing bet

Agilis was cofounded by CEO Shawn Theiss and Executive Chairman Yon Raz-Fridman. Theiss has spent decades in aviation and custom unmanned aircraft work for defense customers. Raz-Fridman is a company builder whose prior work includes technology ventures and investment activity.

Their pairing is relevant because Agilis is trying to convert custom engineering knowledge into a standardized production system. A team can build an effective prototype or satisfy one specialized program without being ready to produce the same aircraft consistently at higher volume. The Youngstown expansion is intended to close that gap.

The investor mix also reflects the plan. EagleNXT's earlier strategic investment announcement framed the relationship around combining Agilis's manufacturing with EagleNXT's aircraft, sensors, and software. North Coast Ventures and Vici Capital bring regional capital to an Ohio production story. The company did not identify a lead investor or disclose a valuation.

What the $1.4 million has to prove

Agilis says the funding will support three near-term jobs: ramp the Youngstown line, finish certification work, and serve its Army pipeline. Each creates a measurable checkpoint.

Production ramp can be tested through delivered units and consistent lead times. Certification progress can be verified as approvals are completed. Pipeline quality will become clearer through contracts, repeat purchases, and disclosed customer use rather than marketplace eligibility alone.

This is why the financing is more consequential than its headline amount might suggest. Agilis does not need $1.4 million to invent a category. It needs the money to connect a qualified product to a functioning purchase channel without sacrificing cost or consistency.

The size of the round also limits how many mistakes the company can absorb. Working capital can disappear quickly when a hardware team must buy components, hold inventory, support field testing, and keep a line staffed before customer payments arrive. Strategic investors can help with suppliers and product integration, but they do not remove that cash-cycle pressure. Agilis will need to match purchasing commitments with measured capacity rather than build ahead of demand it has not yet proven.

If the company succeeds, it will offer a useful model for smaller U.S. defense manufacturers: build a focused system, qualify for a digital procurement path, and expand capacity in step with real demand. If it struggles, the likely lesson will be equally practical. Procurement access can shorten a sales process, but it cannot manufacture and deliver the product. The next Agilis milestone is therefore not another announcement. It is evidence that Army Marketplace access can become dependable American drone production.