● The new funding will accelerate growth for the European drone developer and manufacturer, enabling further development of its resilient supply chain.
● Orqa’s production capacity is set to expand to over one million drones annually through global manufacturing partnerships.
● Orqa’s ability to supply the defense and enterprise Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) markets with non-Chinese components will also be further strengthened.
Orqa, Europe’s leading developer of first-person view (FPV) drones and unmanned aerial systems (UAS), announced the successful raising of €12.7 million Series A funding. Led by Expeditions, the leading early-stage investor in European security, other participants in the round include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Taiwania Capital, AYMO Ventures, and Radius Capital.
Building on Orqa’s proven ability to produce up to 280,000 fully NDAA-compliant drones annually at their European headquarters in Osijek, Croatia, the company is now extending this model globally through an international network of trusted manufacturing partners building standardized systems based on Orqa designs and components.
Known as the Global Manufacturing Partnership Program, it will enable Orqa to scale production to more than one million drones per year and bring their resilient supply chain for dual-use technology to multiple markets, reducing lead times, logistics complexity, and regulatory barriers in the process. Partnerships are already established across key territories in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific, with additional agreements in progress to further expand Orqa’s global footprint.
The market for drones has expanded exponentially in recent years as defense technology has become central to modern warfare and is expected to be worth $29.8 billion by 2030*. Commercial use is forecast to grow at 8%-14% year-on-year as industries incorporate drones as a service models into operations such as inspection and maintenance.
Srdjan Kovacevic, Co-Founder and CEO of Orqa, said, “For almost a decade Orqa has been setting new standards in FPV. Over the last four years, we have been a key enabler of the Western FPV ecosystem in the defense space, continuously raising the bar for the rest of the industry.
Today, we are focussed on enabling the transformation of Western defense forces, making sure they can develop unparalleled unmanned capabilities using the best available aerial robotics technology. This investment will drive the next phase of our development, enabling us to accelerate faster and set the stage for what’s to come.”
The Co-Founder and General Partner of Expeditions, Dr Mikołaj Firlej, commented, “One of our core investment theses is to back companies that control critical nodes of Europe’s supply chains, especially in the defense industry. Orqa clearly fits that focus.
Srdjan, Ivan, Vlatko and the team are not building another drone company. Instead, they have built an industrial powerhouse supplying customers with a wide range of non-chinese components designed and built at their headquarters in Europe, guaranteeing complete supply chain sovereignty.
What stood out to us about Orqa was its significant moat around manufacturing, fast-growing commercial traction, and superb capital efficiency. The company’s unique culture, built around humble excellence, allows it to focus on long-term value creation with a highly customer-centric approach. We are excited to support Orqa in their next phase of growth.”
Antoine Moyroud of Lightspeed Venture Partners added, “Lightspeed is delighted to be part of Orqa’s journey as they continue redefining what sovereign, high-performance drone manufacturing looks like in Europe and beyond.
In a sector where bold claims often outpace delivery, Orqa stands out by delivering for its customers and scaling where others often fall short. The team combines deep technical expertise with a disciplined, scalable production model and exceptional capital efficiency.
Its Global Manufacturing Program demonstrates a keen understanding of today’s geopolitical landscape and market needs, as well as operational maturity well beyond their stage. We are excited to support their acceleration as they expand their global footprint.”
