As U.S. federal and state agencies intensify their shift toward American-built drones, WingXpand — a St. Louis-based aerospace startup — is on a tear.

The company has recently landed multiple multi-million-dollar contracts across the U.S. Army, Navy, Special Operations and the State of Montana. Those three big names signal a pivotal moment in the push for secure, scalable autonomous systems.

“Our mission at WingXpand is to expand what’s possible with autonomous systems for those that keep our world running,” said James Barbieri, WingXpand CEO and Co-Founder, in an email to The Drone Girl.

WingXpand’s signature technology is a drone that expands from a backpack and flies up to five times longer than typical quadcopters, largely due to its fixed-wing (airplane) form. And in modern fashion, it runs real-time onboard AI.

Tactical autonomy, designed for modularity

WingXpand’s latest Army contract focuses on advancing its AI detection stack, enabling streamlined third-party software and payload integrations.

“It’s the continued development of our AI detection stack that allows for the easier integration of 3rd party payloads and software onto our platforms,” Barbieri said.

For the U.S. Navy, the company is tackling an often-overlooked but mission-critical challenge: field repairability.

“It’s for an approach to improving the repairability of composite parts in the field,” Barbieri said, noting that it’s a key advancement for maintaining readiness in austere environments.

Mission flexibility lies at the heart of WingXpand’s design philosophy.

“A lot of what we focus on at WingXpand is multi-mission utility since every ounce of gear and every minute in the air matters when you’re out in the field,” Barbieri said. “It’s about having the most powerful smart plane in the smallest pack down possible that can get the job done, even as the task changes.”

AI edge processing and defense prime integrations

WingXpand’s plug-and-play architecture has already attracted the attention of major defense contractors. In collaboration with Raytheon, the company is evolving its AI-powered anomaly detection system to span multiple sensing modalities.

“With high-resolution cameras and an edge computer onboard, WingXpand uses AI to automatically detect anomalies in the electro-optical view — more akin to how the human eye sees,” Barbieri said. “We are working with Raytheon to integrate that capability in the Infrared spectrum.”

While the company hasn’t officially joined the DoD’s Replicator initiative, Barbieri noted WingXpand is already supporting efforts aligned with the Pentagon’s broader push for low-cost, scalable autonomous systems.

“We’ve worked with teams supporting these efforts and would welcome the opportunity to help more warfighters get the technology they need out in the field,” he said.

Related read: How a St. Louis drone company is creating new defense capabilities   

Civilian wins and state-level expansion

Beyond federal contracts, WingXpand was selected as one of just six approved drone vendors for the State of Montana — a procurement focused on secure, domestically sourced platforms.

“The State of Montana put out a solicitation looking for companies that could provide UAS that ‘Originate from non-adversary nation(s)’ among other criteria,” Barbieri said. “WingXpand applied and was selected based on our experience, training, and mission use cases such as public safety, inspection, land management, and other long-range operations.”

For WingXpand, the Montana win represents more than just market expansion — it’s a validation of the company’s hybrid approach to both military and civilian missions.

Made in Missouri, scaling nationally

All WingXpand systems are manufactured in St. Louis, Missouri, with additional offices in Boston and a new facility opening in the Chicagoland area. The company is actively hiring, building out its team in tandem with the uptick in demand.

“We have such an incredible team across disciplines, and we will continue to grow, especially on the heels of these new contracts,” Barbieri said. “For a list of current openings, check out our website — we frequently add new roles.”

As the lines blur between defense and commercial autonomy, WingXpand looks to be committed to dual-use innovation.

“That mission drives our ability to deliver long-range capability at the best value for our customers through scale, unlike other traditional cost-prohibitive systems in this class,” Barbieri said.

Looking ahead: Scalable trust in American robotics

With Washington and state governments increasingly distancing themselves from foreign-made drones, WingXpand’s NDAA-compliant, AI-enhanced platforms are positioned at the intersection of trust, adaptability, and performance.

“This is about more than drones,” Barbieri emphasized. “It’s about redefining who can access highly capable robotics, proudly built in America.”

As the U.S. drone ecosystem evolves — from rapid battlefield deployment to rugged land management and disaster response — WingXpand is proving that nimble engineering and scalable autonomy can come in a backpack.

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