(Editor’s note: This post on Orqa drones from Croatia is part of our Tech Tuesday series. Dispatches covers tech because so many of our highly skilled internationals are engineers and researchers.)
Eight-year-old Croatian drone maker Orqa is already making its mark on the American market as well as on the global US strategic posture. The 2nd Infantry Division of the US Army confirms their previous agreement to purchase Orqa’s FPV drones. Orqa was chosen after a focused evaluation of multiple suppliers.
“Orqa was selected as the supplier based on the proven performance of its systems in the field,” Orqa executives stated of the deal on LinkedIn. Croatia’s Business Diary reveals that most of the specific details are currently not disclosed. That’s because of the sensitive nature of the 2nd ID’s mission, with the US division is permanently forward deployed to the Republic of Korea to contain North Korea and its dictator, the mercurial Kim Jong Un. The division, with about 25,000 troops, has control over the Korean Rotational Force (KRF).
Dramatic entry into US defense market
The deal is a boost for Orqa when it comes to its planned expansion into the US defense market, placing the tech developed by the Osijek-based company within one of the US Army’s permanently deployed divisions. As touched on above, the specific number of drones involved, the value of the contract, the specific configuration chosen, the delivery schedule, or whether the procurement will be made directly or through an American partner hasn’t been made public.
The details we do know make this news from Orqa even more significant, and the number of job openings at the company indicated a massive demand.
(See below for more details on career openings.)
This selection comes as the 2nd Infantry Division/Combined Division of the Republic of Korea is expanding its overall use of small first-person view systems on the Korean Peninsula. The division conducted its first live-fire training with assault drones on 5 August at the Rodriguez Live Fire complex in South Korea. It has also been reported that the US military is considering utilising more than one unmanned platform as it develops tactical drone capabilities.
Army officials announced that the Talon Tech Division organisation is continuing its evaluation of the drones for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, cargo delivery and one-way strike missions. The goal is to identify technologies that can be transferred into operational use, which is precisely where Orqa stands out. The division has already begun training operators ahead of the aforementioned live-fire event. Prior to this, soldiers participated in the Warrior FPV Drone Course at Camp Humphreys back in May, where they trained with small FPV drones to develop piloting, maneuvering and tactical use skills.
One advantage Orqa has is its full vertical manufacturing integration. With the US banning Chinese suppliers of military equipment, the company designs and manufacture every component, adding a security aspect to the deal.
A deal with a lot of moving pieces
That context makes Orqa’s announcement significant. The Croatian manufacturer is entering a formation that actively tests competing FPV technologies, rather than introducing drones as an isolated experimental capability. The announcement of the 2nd Infantry Division also follows a series of steps Orqa has taken in order to establish itself within the US defense industrial base.
Turning the clock back to March, Orqa signed a partnership agreement with the Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas, to support the production of American military drones. That arrangement was part of the company’s broader distributed manufacturing strategy. Orqa and By Light Professional IT Services subsequently formed Orqa US, an independently controlled US company headquartered in Oakland, California, which has already been covered.
This demanding American venture by Orqa is intended to produce systems that comply with American procurement requirements, all while this Croatian-made tech is being transferred back to the Croatian production structure. According to information previously obtained from Orqa US, the operation is being built around American manufacturing and an onshore supply chain.
A few months ago, Orqa opened a facility for the production and assembly of drones in Florida, and the facility’s full production capacity is expected at the end of 2026. Orqa co- founder and CEO Srđan Kovačević stated that the proper establishment of Orqa US represents a crucial milestone in the global strategy of the company.
Croatian drones in more than 50 nations
“Orqa’s collaboration with By Light opens the door for us to take the technology developed in Osijek to a totally new level and directly respond to the needs of the most demanding market in the world,” said Kovačević. The combination of top Croatian-made tech and the robust infrastructure in Florida puts Orqa in a strong strategic position in the US defense market, noted Orqa US CEO Charles Phillips.
“With entirely coordinated production and a strategic presence in Silicon Valley, we’re ready to ensure the reliable delivery of systems that meet the highest possible standards of safety and quality,” Phillips said. In more recent years, Orqa has become one of the most well known and respected European manufacturers of FPV drones. Orqa’s systems are used in
over 50 nations around the world.
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Read more about Orqa here in Dispatches’ archives. Orqa has about 50 open positions in Croatia and in the US in both tech and management/operations.
They include:
• Mechatronics Engineer – Drone Tether Systtems
• Senior Mechanical Engineer – UAV Systems
• Go-to-Market Strategy Analyst
• Embedded Software Developer (C / C++)
Lauren Simmonds
Lauren Simmonds is the editor of Total Croatia News, the largest English language portal in Croatia. She lives in Zagreb, Croatia, and is a translator, content writer, interpreter and the co-author of "Croatia - A Survival Kit for Foreigners," which was published in 2022.
