St. Louis companies prepared to meet drone needs of US military

March 11, 2026

“We have to give our soldiers and those out there in harm’s way every advantage possible,” James Barbieri, the CEO of WingXpand, said.

ST. LOUIS — For the first time the U.S. military use one way attack drones during Operation Epic Fury.

During the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, WingXpand CEO James Barbieri said one thing has become clear about modern warfare.

“The technology is advancing at a rate we’ve never seen before,” Barbieri said.

The U.S. military first introduced drones to the field of combat in 2001.

“You’ve got to make these systems work in new and creative ways,” Barbieri said. “That is what our adversaries are doing.  We have to out innovate, out-manufacture and get them out into the field as quickly as we can.”

Webster University professor Dani Belo said that’s why the Department of Defense recently announced a desire to add 1 million drones over the next three years.

“We have to have systems that can go longer,” Barbieri said. “Critically we have to have thousands and thousands of these systems.”

“Warfare is becoming expensive,” Belo said. “What it means is the United States has to rely on less expensive weapons to potentially achieve similar outcomes.”

With companies like Boeing and WingXpand securing government contracts, Barbieri said the St. Louis region is uniquely suited to meet the demand.

“I know the great talent that we have in St. Louis along with skilled individuals that are craftsman at their trade at putting together complex aerospace and robotics systems,” Barbieri said.

WingXpand is currently developing a new, fifth-generation drone, which is fully autonomous and small enough to fit in a backpack.

“They’ve got about an 8-foot wingspan, but can fly for over two hours, and over 100 kilometers,” Barbieri said.

Barbieri said that not only extends our military capabilities, but it keeps our troops out of the line of fire.

“We have to give our soldiers and those out there in harm’s way every advantage possible,” Barbieri said.

Barbieri said that WingXpand is moving forward with plans to double its workforce locally.

That announcement comes just a few weeks after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a $459 million investment in Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray drone program in Mascoutah, Illinois.