Many proponents of American manufacturing talk about making cars domestically and helping the U.S. auto industry soar. In the case of Detroit-based drone startup Birdstop, that is literally the plan.
In its search for ways to better manufacture drones amid a surge of demand for domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicles, Birdstop decided to make use of one of the country’s most expansive industrial sectors. By strategically utilizing items from auto parts makers—80% of the parts for the company’s new Fealty drone come from companies that supply carmakers—Birdstop can build faster and cheaper.
“The appetite for domestically produced drones is very high,” said CEO Keith Miao. “This is a void we’re trying to fill.”
Miao, who comes from a satellite imagery background, started the firm in 2019. Originally based in the Bay Area, with manufacturing space in Alabama, Birdstop sought a way to manufacture drones more cheaply, without relying on expensive and limited defense industry supply chains. Michigan state manufacturing incentives helped the firm, which now employs 40 people, make the move to Detroit. Workers currently hand-build drones in a former United Auto Workers union building on the Detroit River, overlooking Belle Isle.
Improving the domestic drone supply chain has become even more pressing since last December, when the Trump administration declared foreign-made drones—including those made by Chinese firm DJI, the preeminent market leader—a security threat. That’s left fewer options for customers.
“We sometimes talk about the United States manufacturing less than 1% of the world’s drones,” Miao said. “That is actually kind of a compliment, because it’s actually far, far less than 1%.”
Tapping into the vast auto manufacturing base not only connects parts suppliers with a new customer at the cutting edge of technology—the electric motors that operate windshield wipers, for instance, can be refitted for UAVs—but allows Birdstop to realize cost savings. For example, Fealty drones use 10 cameras. When those cameras are procured from defense supply chains, there are fewer sourcing options. They also cost at least 10 times more than they would from automotive suppliers.
With an HQ in Detroit, Birdstop engineers can also meet face-to-face with an array of parts suppliers, making it easier to source and much easier to collaborate with suppliers.
The high-tech state of today’s cars means that much of the technology and computers inside can be used for other applications. Miao predicts that in 18 to 24 months, roughly 100% of a Birdstop drone could be made using parts sourced from car parts companies.
Birdstop’s main focus is supplying clients involved in public safety (like the drone-as-first-responder programs being utilized by U.S. police departments) and monitoring critical infrastructure. In May, the company launched a new partnership with TSPS, which operates parking for trucks across the country. Birdstop drones will monitor parking sites to help coordinate stops and make truck operations more efficient. Miao also sees opportunity in monitoring for utility companies, including power plants and the grid, especially checking power lines for wildfire risks.
“We see ourselves as being able to build this constellation of satellites that sit on the ground in the form of drones,” he said. “We can put these very helpful, sometimes lifesaving autonomous agents in the sky, and have this fleet of teammates that can respond to situations and get eyes on scene before we have to put humans into harm’s way.
Miao predicts that in a few years there may be a million drones manufactured in the U.S. annually. He hopes that Birdstop, by tapping into the vast capacity of the auto industry, plays an increasingly large role in fulfilling that demand.