Rift Dynamics has secured a large US production run for its WÅSP one‑way attack drone, signalling a major push to establish a supply chain free of Chinese components. According to a report by sUAS News, the company will deliver 2,500 NDAA‑compliant WÅSP units to American Robotics Inc./Ondas Inc., with manufacture slated on a newly established line in Pennsylvania operated by Kitron Group USA.

The move follows earlier commercial steps to enter the US defence market. Ondas Holdings disclosed an initial order for 500 WÅSP drones to be distributed through its American Robotics subsidiary, and said Kitron would handle production of that first tranche. Ondas has also taken a strategic stake in Rift Dynamics and expanded collaboration to integrate Nammo Raufoss warheads with the WÅSP platform, creating a single supplier package of airframe, munition and control systems for US customers, according to company announcements.

Rift and its partners emphasise sovereign control over key subsystems and regulatory compliance. The manufacturers describe the chain as NDAA‑ and FCC‑compliant and say critical components are designed and produced under Rift’s governance to preserve operational integrity and continuity. Ondas has highlighted Rift’s European manufacturing footprint and has claimed the ability to scale rapidly, asserting capacity to produce more than 20,000 units per month across three international sites within six months of an order.

Industry observers note the commercial logic: defence services and purchasers seeking attritable, mass‑affordable strike and perimeter‑defence platforms have driven demand for systems that combine rapid producibility with export and procurement compliance. Kitron, a defence electronics contractor with US facilities, will play a central role in transitioning the programme to domestic production, supporting the wider objective of reducing reliance on supply chains that include Chinese components.

Execution risks remain practical rather than conceptual. Rift and its partners point to known lead times and prior production history in Europe and the US as the basis for confident delivery forecasts. The companies involved frame the Pennsylvania production run as a test of the China‑free, large‑volume supply chain at scales that mirror operational demand, while presenting the integrated WÅSP/Nammo solution as a turnkey option aimed at simplifying acquisition for US buyers.

As the programme moves from initial orders to larger manufacture, the parties involved are positioning the WÅSP as a rapidly scalable, compliant attritable system supported by a claimed sovereign supply chain and US‑based production capacity.

Source: Noah Wire Services