Performance Drone Works
Modular military drone manufacturer (PDW), spun out of the Drone Racing League.
Performance Drone Works (PDW) builds modular military drones, including the Blue UAS-approved C100. Spun out of the Drone Racing League in 2020, PDW is led by CEO James Slider, with co-founders Matt Higgins (Executive Chairman, also DRL co-founder) and Ryan Gury (Chief Innovation Officer). Gen. (Ret.) Raymond 'Tony' Thomas III, former USSOCOM Commander, has chaired the board since June 2024.
Overview
- Headquarters
- Huntsville, AL
- Founded
- 2020
- Employees
- Undisclosed
- Total funding
- >$110M (Series B, March 2026)
- Stage
- Series B
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Website
- www.pdw.ai
Founders2
- FounderMatt HigginsCo-founder and Executive Chairman of Performance Drone Works. Also co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, the New York investment firm that was an early investor in the Drone Racing League — whose own founder and CEO is Nicholas Horbaczewski, also a PDW co-founder.
- FounderRyan GuryCo-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Performance Drone Works.
Investors0
No linked records yet.
Cap table0
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|
Contracts4
- ContractArmy C100 Supply Contracts (Dec 2024)Army contracts worth over $15M for PDW's C100 drone.
- ContractArmy "Transformation in Contact" Contract$20M Army contract for PDW under the Transformation in Contact initiative.
- ContractUSAF C100 Tactical UAS ContractU.S. Air Force contract for PDW's C100 tactical UAS.
- ContractOSC Conditional Loan Commitment for Domestic Drone Component ManufacturingUp to $820M conditional loan commitment from the Dept. of War's Office of Strategic Capital to Performance Drone Works to build high-volume domestic drone-component manufacturing (propulsion, power/control, vision systems) for Group 1/Group 2 UAS across the US drone industrial base.
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What does Performance Drone Works do?
- Performance Drone Works (PDW) builds modular military drones, including the Blue UAS-approved C100. Spun out of the Drone Racing League in 2020, PDW is led by CEO James Slider, with co-founders Matt Higgins (Executive Chairman, also DRL co-founder) and Ryan Gury (Chief Innovation Officer). Gen. (Ret.) Raymond 'Tony' Thomas III, former USSOCOM Commander, has chaired the board since June 2024.
- Where is Performance Drone Works headquartered?
- Performance Drone Works is headquartered in Huntsville, AL and was founded in 2020.
- How much funding has Performance Drone Works raised?
- Performance Drone Works has raised >$110M (Series B, March 2026) in disclosed funding.
- Does Performance Drone Works hold government contracts?
- Defense Tech Atlas links Performance Drone Works to 4 government contracts.
Sources & citations6
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
PDW raises over $110M in Series B financing to expand product offerings, strengthen engineering capabilities and scale production of modular military drones, led by Ondas with Hood River, Cedar Pine, Hanwha Asset Management's venture fund, and Booz Allen Hamilton
PDW: PDW Raises Over $110M in Series B FinancingVerified2026-03-25 - 2
Gen. (Ret.) Raymond 'Tony' Thomas III, former USSOCOM Commander, appointed Chairman of PDW's Board of Directors
PDW: PDW Appoints General (Ret.) Raymond 'Tony' Thomas III as Chairman of the Board of DirectorsVerified2024-06-11 - 3
PDW's C100 approved for the Blue UAS List
PDW: PDW's C100 Advanced Mission Capable Drone Approved for Blue UAS ListVerified2023-12-19 - 4
- 5
PDW's C100 selected for Tranche 1 of the U.S. Army's Directed Requirement for Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System
PDW: PDW's C100 Selected for Tranche 1 of the US Army Directed Requirement for Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (MRR)Verified2024-09-13 - 6
PDW completes acquisition of Vanteon, a Rochester NY RF/SDR engineering firm with approximately 40 engineers and technical staff
PDW: PDW Completes Acquisition of VanteonVerified2026-06-19