Pentagon selects Bluffdale-based Vector for up to 5,000 drones – Utah Business

Pentagon selects Bluffdale-based Vector for up to 5,000 drones  Utah Business

Vector, a Bluffdale-based defense technology company, has been selected for Phase II orders of up to 5,000 unmanned systems through the U.S. Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program, after placing among the top five finishers in the Close Quarters Battle category of the program’s Gauntlet II flyoff. Vector advanced from a field that began with 49 companies in the program’s qualifier. It was selected for orders within a combined allocation of 60,000 systems across the program’s two mission categories, according to the company’s announcement. It was also selected for orders of its high-voltage electronic safe and arm device, a component that lets operators arm drones with munitions, making it, according to Vector, the only American company to receive awards for both unmanned systems and HV-ESAD solutions at Gauntlet II.

“We’re thrilled to be selected but the next stage matters even more,” says Andy Yakulis, co-founder and CEO of Vector. “We’ve built Vector to meet the demand for UAS at scale, investing in the supply chain, manufacturing, and industrial capacity required to support the Department of War and the American warfighter the right way. We’re ready to deliver at scale. We’re ready to run.” A Pentagon racing to catch up The order lands as the Pentagon tries to close a wide manufacturing gap. According to DroneXL’s account of an Oct. 31