This week, my eyes are on PABLO AIR, a South Korean drone company that came onto the scene with swarm drone technology that’s used in applications from drone delivery to military use. But the other product it makes that I’m high—key obsessed with? That’s the PabloX F40.

This drone is one of just a handful of drones in the world that solves a problem many audiences complain about when watching drone light shows: they don’t have the “boom factor” of fireworks. But the PabloX F40 does it all: it’s a light show drone and it can shoot fireworks while flying.

The PabloX F40: When LEDs meet pyrotechnics

Most drone light shows rely purely on LED lighting to create patterns, images and animations in the night sky. The PabloX F40 is considered a pyro drone, meaning it does that while also launching fireworks.

The PabloX F40 won the iF Design Award 2025, joining an elite group of products recognized for outstanding design. In August 2024, it received FAA flight approval in the U.S. for the firework drone series, which is a significant milestone for international expansion.

The key to the success of drone shows lies in PABLO AIR’s independently developed pyrotechnic ignition system. This system is designed to enable multiple drones to ignite fireworks safely and reliably even during flight, enhancing both the precision and overall reliability of the performance.

Their tech has since proved itself on the big stage, including setting multiple Guinness World Records.

In April 2024, PABLO AIR set their most recent record with 1,068 pyro drones flying simultaneously. That’s over one thousand drones, each equipped with pyrotechnic capabilities, coordinated to create a massive aerial display.

Past records have also included:

October 2020: PABLO AIR set a Guinness World Record with a 303-drone pyro show at the Kia Motors logo unveiling event. At the time, this was a massive achievement that put the relatively young company (founded just two years earlier in 2018) on the international map.

September 2022: They broke their own record with 511 pyro drones, effectively doubling the scale of what they’d accomplished just two years prior.

Breaking into the global market

PABLO AIR has been steadily building their international presence, particularly in the United States. The company has showcased at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) multiple years running: 2023, 2024, and 2025. Each appearance has helped build brand awareness in the crucial U.S. market. The August 2024 FAA approval for their firework drone series was a critical step in bringing bigger, better shows to the U.S.

The business model: manufacturing meets services

Here’s where PABLO AIR’s approach differs from many drone show companies: they manufacture their own drones and swarm drone tech.

Some drone show companies operate purely as service providers, buying drones from manufacturers and focusing on show production and client relationships. PABLO AIR owns the entire pipeline from manufacturing to show execution. And if you want then, yes, you can buy your own set of PabloX F40 drones.

Some of its key specs:

• PABLO AIR claims its LEDs are up to 1.8 times brighter than those of competing models
• Windproof and waterproof
• Battery specs: Li-Po / 5,300mAh / 14.8V / 5C
• Max show time: 16 minutes (12 minutes with pyro)

When you purchase a pyro drone (or any light show drone) from PABLO AIR, you get everything you need to put on a show including hardware, software, design solutions, communication equipment and more. The company also offers its own training programs, so even if you have no prior experience in operating drone shows, they’ll pledge to help you.

As far as PABLO AIR goes, the benefits of both manufacturing their own drones and putting on drone shows for themselves include:

Control over technology: They can rapidly iterate on drone design based on show requirements and feedback.

Cost efficiency: No middleman markup on hardware means better margins or more competitive pricing to clients who want to purchase a drone show.

Supply chain reliability: In an industry where drone availability can be a bottleneck, owning manufacturing means PABLO AIR controls their own supply.

PABLO AIR’s swarm coordination technology and pyrotechnic integration make them a company worth watching going into 2026.

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There’s a relatively new player making serious moves in the global drone industry, and it’s based in South Korea. That would be PABLO AIR, and it’s mastering the technology that most companies are still trying to figure out: drone swarms.

PABLO AIR was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Incheon, South Korea, though it has a U.S. office in Torrance, California. Its entire business empire is centered around proprietary swarm coordination technology. But unlike many drone companies that specialize in just one niche, PABLO AIR is using its swarm drone tech to tackle multiple markets at once — from spectacular drone light shows to military applications, drone delivery and even urban air traffic management.

It’s definitely a company that I’ve had my eyes on for the last few years — and it’s finally time I do a deep dive into this company — as it’s only growing.

The swarm tech that started it all

PABLO AIR builds a proprietary Swarm Control Platform, which allows multiple drones to communicate even across different communication protocols, yet all under one system to share their information.

That Swarm Control Platform has become the foundation for everything PABLO AIR does. It’s what allows them to fly over 1,000 drones simultaneously in light shows. It’s what enables their delivery drones to navigate complex urban environments. And it’s what makes their military solutions particularly effective in modern warfare scenarios.

Related read: South Korean drone companies: the biggest, best names to know

Drone light shows and the PabloX F40

But they don’t just make the Swarm Control Platform. They also make the actual drones. My personal favorite is their flagship drone, the PabloX F40. It’s among the few globally to feature dual LED lighting and pyrotechnic capabilities, which is just a fancy way of saying that these light show drones can also shoot fireworks.

In April 2024, PABLO AIR set a Guinness World Record with 1,068 pyro drones flying simultaneously. That’s not their first rodeo with record-breaking either. Back in 2020, they set a Guinness World Record with a 303-drone pyro show at the Kia Motors logo unveiling event. Then in 2022, they did it again with 511 pyro drones.

The PabloX F40 recently won the iF Design Award 2025, adding international design recognition to its technical credentials. The drone received FAA flight approval in the U.S. for the firework drone series in August 2024, opening up the lucrative American market for PABLO AIR’s entertainment division.

Making delivery drones too

PABLO AIR makes delivery drones too. Its proprietary delivery drones can fly as far as 140 km (about 87 miles) with a payload capacity of up to 2kg (4.4 pounds).

The company was among the first participants in Korea’s Drone Delivery Center and has partnered and developed with NASA and the Bluemon Group to demonstrate their capabilities internationally. In July 2022, PABLO AIR launched the first convenience store drone delivery station in South Korea, partnering with 7-Eleven in the resort town of Gapyeong. In taking app orders, preparing products and actually completing the deliveries, that made 7-Eleven and PABLO AIR the first companies in Korea to provide complete A-to-Z services.

In 2023, German drone market research company DroneII ranked PABLO AIR first in Asia and ninth in the world in the global ranking of drone delivery services — pretty impressive for a company that started just five years earlier.

Of course a key component in completing drone deliveries is being able to fly beyond visual line of sight. That’s a hot topic worldwide, but especially in the U.S., as the U.S. just released its proposed BVLOS drone rule in August 2025. That proposed rule was informed by years of testing with the Federal Aviation Administration’s test sites. And one of those test sites is the New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport, Rome, NY which, perhaps not coincidentally, PABLO AIR has played a key role.

In early 2022, Pablo teamed up with with NUAIR (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance) and set up PABLO AIR’s integrated control system at Griffiss International Airport in New York to conduct both visual line of sight (VLOS) and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) delivery demonstrations.

Beyond delivery, PABLO AIR has developed UrbanLinkX, an unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UATM) platform that won a CES 2024 Innovation Award — something else key to enabling deliveries (and other applications too, of course). The UrbanLinkX system optimizes logistics by monitoring and controlling unmanned systems in smart cities while collecting real-time environmental and security data.

Pivoting to defense: a logical evolution

Here’s where things get serious. PABLO AIR’s swarm technology has natural applications in the defense sector.

The company focuses on enhancing synergy between drones and personnel through swarm UAVs, data collection, and integrated terminals. In September 2023, PABLO AIR was selected as a participant in the “100 Innovative Companies in Defense” program by Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration for the drone sector.

Then in December 2024, PABLO AIR signed an R&D agreement under the same “100 Innovative Companies in Defense” program specifically for the development of a Swarm Drone Combat System.

Their flagship military product is the PabloM S10s, a tactical loitering munition (that’s military speak for a reconnaissance and strike drone). The S10s is a modular combat drone platform capable of performing reconnaissance and strike missions simultaneously. With a maximum speed of 150 km/h (about 93 mph), operational radius of 38 km (about 24 miles), and the ability to carry various sensor and warhead modules, it’s designed for modern battlefield operations.

Multiple S10s units can perform salvo attacks, with simultaneous or sequential strikes from different angles. The entire system leverages PABLO AIR’s swarm coordination technology, allowing AI-based flight control and mission-path optimization. That’s the same underlying technology that allows applying to a very different use case.

Why I’ll be watching PABLO AIR in 2026

The global drone industry is increasingly divided into specialists and generalists. Most companies pick a lane and stay there. DJI dominates consumer camera drones. Sky Elements and other companies focus exclusively on drone light shows. Defense contractors build military drones. Delivery companies work on logistics.

PABLO AIR is trying to do it all, and their swarm technology is the common thread.

Is this strategy sustainable? The drone market in 2025 is consolidating, with companies either doubling down on niches or getting acquired. But it looks to me like the fastest-growing drone companies are those focusing on military, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and critical infrastructure applications.

PABLO AIR’s story is particularly interesting given the current geopolitical climate around drones. While U.S. lawmakers continue debating whether to ban Chinese drone makers like DJI, there’s growing interest in alternatives from allied nations. South Korean drone technology offers one potential answer to that equation.

The company’s U.S. presence in Torrance, California, positions them well to capture American market share, particularly in defense applications where “trusted” suppliers from allied nations are increasingly preferred.

PABLO AIR seems to have hedged their bets well. They’ve got the entertainment business for brand visibility and commercial revenue. They’ve got delivery and urban air mobility partnerships for the logistics future. And they’ve earned defense projects for the sector that’s seeing the most investment right now.

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Since peaking in 2021, drone industry funding has plummeted. And yes, that comes with plenty of bad news. Just don’t panic yet. There’s good news too, and drone companies are finding ways to thrive without the venture capital fire hose.

Let’s start with the bad news. Not only is drone industry funding sharply down from its 2021 peak, but drone companies are feeling the hit. A Drone Industry Insights survey of nearly 800 people in the drone industry, conducted in mid-2025, asked what the biggest challenges facing the industry in 2025 were.

“Acquiring industry funding” was the third biggest challenge. That’s especially notable considering it only ranked eighth in 2023 as the biggest challenge.

In 2025, the only two things that ranked higher were regulatory obstacles and client acquisition. That’s all according to DII’s Global State of Drones 2025 report.

Drone industry funding in 2024 hit lows not seen since 2018, and 2025 drone industry funding is shaping up to not fare much better. More staggering is the drop-off.

To understand the magnitude of the shift, consider this: From 2019 to 2020, and again from 2020 to 2021, investment in drone companies doubled each year. Drone industry investments peaked in 2021 at $3.67 billion. 

But the party came to an abrupt end in 2022, when both total funding value and number of deals involving drone companies decreased for the first time. By 2024, investments in drone companies fell to just $820 million.

The Drone Industry Insights survey identifies 2021 as marking “the peak of drone market investments,” and notes that “despite a strong decline in funding since then, the overall development remains relatively robust.”

That last part phrase — “relatively robust” — deserves attention. Because while the money has dried up, the industry hasn’t collapsed. Companies are surviving, and some are even thriving. How?

Consider interest rates

Understanding the funding freeze requires understanding the broader economic context. The survey report notes that “a period of high interest rates began in July 2022. This heralded a venture capital crisis among drone companies, resulting in a period of intense market consolidation that continues to this day.”

And what we have now? The actual market for drone services and products is growing — it’s the speculative investment that’s contracted. When interest rates were near zero, investors could afford to bet on long-shot moonshots. When rates rose, they demanded quicker paths to profitability. What we have today are companies like DroneDeploy, which announced it had reached break-even in September 2025.

How drone companies are shifting resource allocation

DII’s September 2025 survey asked companies about their top priorities for resource allocation. Marketing and sales continues to consume about a third of resources (29% in 2025, down slightly from 31% in 2024), but funding has become a much higher priority.

What’s particularly telling is how different types of companies prioritize funding. According to the survey data, drone service providers (DSPs) put the highest priority on funding at 20%, while component manufacturers show the lowest need at just 9%.

Presumably, component manufacturers have simpler business models with clearer paths to revenue. Service providers, meanwhile, need capital to scale operations across multiple locations and acquire equipment before they can generate returns.

The silver lining for the drone industry

While the drone funding freeze is painful, it’s forcing the industry toward sustainability. Companies that survive this period will have proven business models, actual customers and realistic unit economics. The hype-driven “fake it till you make it” era is over.

DII’s survey’s findings support this interpretation. Despite the funding challenges, expectations for market growth remain positive. The industry’s overall development score increased slightly from 6.1 to 6.8, and expectations for the next 12 months rose from 6.8 to 6.8.

Different segments are experiencing this differently. Drone software providers are “the big winner,” with their development score increasing to 7.2 and expectations for the next 12 months reaching 8.0. Meanwhile, drone integration and engineering companies—which often require significant upfront capital—experienced the sharpest decline.

What’s next for the industry amidst lighter drone funding

So how are drone companies actually surviving without venture capital fire hoses? The survey and broader industry trends point to several strategies:

Focus on cash flow: Companies are prioritizing paying customers over user growth. Revenue today beats the promise of revenue tomorrow.

Strategic partnerships: Rather than trying to do everything in-house, companies are partnering with established players who have distribution channels and customer relationships.

Lean operations: The days of lavish office spaces and rapid hiring are over. Companies are staying small and focused.

Geographic expansion: Rather than raising money to scale nationally, companies are proving the model in one region and then carefully expanding.

Specialized applications: Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, successful companies are going deep in specific niches where they can command premium pricing.

I also predict that this drone funding ‘freeze’ isn’t temporary, but rather a reset to more sustainable norms.

For entrepreneurs entering the drone space, this doesn’t have to be devastating news. Yes, getting funded is harder. But that means less competition from well-funded competitors with unsustainable business models. The companies that win will be those that solve real problems for customers willing to pay, not those that raised the most money.

The Great Drone Funding Freeze is painful, but it’s also purifying. The industry that emerges will be built on revenue, not runway. And that’s how sustainable industries are built.

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