US drone makers eye Asia sales as China threat rises

Several US drone firms made their debuts at the Singapore Airshow this week, seeking to expand their business beyond the Pentagon to countries in Asia that are increasingly concerned about the threat posed by China's military buildup.

- JOE BROCK

The lethal success of drones on both sides of Russia's war in Ukraine has sparked a surge of Silicon Valley investment in drone and military artificial intelligence startups, boosting the valuations of US firms like California-based Anduril Industries and Shield AL.

This wave of interest in the next generation of warfare is reshaping the character of major air shows that have been long dominated by gleaming commercial airliners, daredevil fighter jets and troop-carrying helicopters.

Drones — from palm-sized quadcopters built for kamikaze strikes to unmanned fighter jets — have moved from the margins to centre stage as military commanders, politicians, intelligence officers and defence industry executives converged this week to assess which technologies might give them the edge in a future conflict in the Pacific.

Though most drones used by Ukraine are domestically produced, companies like Anduril, Shield Al, El Segundo, California-based Neros Technologies and Virginia-headquartered AeroVironment have supplied Kyiv with weapons.