Tampa Bay is becoming a drone and defense-tech hub
The momentum is hard to miss. On Oct. 30, 2026, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that Tampa "is becoming a hotbed for drone, defense tech operations," with XTEND AI, Orion Edge and other autonomous-systems companies relocating to the region, drawn by MacDill Air Force Base and defense-industry talent.
Photo: Tampa Skyline from the River — joiseyshowaa / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped, resized and converted to WebP.
A few recent data points:
- MacDill AFB is the only military installation that hosts two four-star combatant commands, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, according to the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council. The EDC also cites a veteran workforce of more than 80,000 in the region.
- XTEND opened its U.S. headquarters and manufacturing operation in Tampa on May 1, 2025, and in March 2026 began deliveries under an initial $8 million contract for tactical drone systems (Tampa Bay Business & Wealth).
- Aevex is expanding its Tampa manufacturing space to double production of autonomous drones (Tampa Bay Business Journal, Sept. 10, 2026).
- Orion Edge relocated its headquarters from Denver to Tampa in November 2025 and announced an 8,008-square-foot expansion in July 2026 (Tampa Bay EDC).
- SOF Week 2026 drew 25,418 in-person attendees to downtown Tampa, with drones, loitering munitions and counter-drone systems center stage (SOF Week event report; Breaking Defense).
- SOFWERX, USSOCOM's Tampa innovation partner, reported $503 million contracted through 1,824 purchase orders and commercial agreements (Military Embedded Systems).
Why national drone programs make batteries a supply-chain issue
The Department of War's Drone Dominance Program traces back to a July 10, 2025 memo on military drone dominance. It is spending about $1.1 billion in prototype orders across multiple phases. Its Phase III solicitation states the goal of fielding low-cost small UAS "at scale, and from a resilient supply chain," with a preference for systems sourced and manufactured primarily in the United States. After Gauntlet II in October 2026, the program moved to order 60,000 small drones from nine companies, including Tampa-based XTEND (Defense War Room; Defence Blog).
Every one of those aircraft needs a battery pack sized to its propulsion peaks, flight time and mass budget. And every scale-up runs into the same constraint: pack supply has to grow as fast as airframe production. That is where a regional battery partner matters.
What LBC builds for drone, UAS, robotics and defense OEMs
LBC designs and builds custom LFP and NMC lithium battery packs for OEM programs across North America. For UAV and drone OEMs, we build packs around propulsion peaks, flight runtime, pack mass and the airframe's connector and telemetry interface. NMC is typically reviewed when aircraft mass and energy density dominate the brief. For defense and government programs and ground robotics such as AGVs and AMRs, LFP is often the starting point where cycle life and thermal margin matter most.
What OEMs get:
- 392 LFP and NMC reference designs to start from, from 24V through 48V, 72V and higher-voltage packs
- Custom packs built to your envelope, connector, BMS and communications requirements (custom lithium battery packs)
- Low-MOQ starts for prototypes and pilot runs (low-MOQ custom packs); catalog UAV designs start at 10 units
- Automated pack assembly lines at Port Tampa Bay, covering prismatic cells (50–320Ah), large cylindrical cells and small cylindrical cells
- Federal registration: UEI KTAYRM6TT754, CAGE 73P65
Agencies LBC lists as previously supplied include the FBI, NCIS, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the U.S. Air Force (including the Air National Guard), the U.S. Army (including Special Forces), the Forest Service, NOAA and USGS. (See the full list on our defense applications page.)
The equipment behind it: three automated pack assembly lines at Port Tampa Bay
LBC has invested more than $3 million in three fully automated battery pack assembly lines at Port Tampa Bay. Each line is built for a different family of cells, so one Tampa partner can support very different drone, robotics and defense programs:
LBC is building out its manufacturing in Tampa Bay around these lines, creating local battery capacity for the region's drone, robotics and defense companies.
- Prismatic line (50Ah–320Ah cells): large-format LFP packs for ground robots, unmanned ground vehicles, mobile power, energy storage and long-cycle-life defense equipment.
- Large cylindrical line (32130, 32125, 32140, 22140, 40130 and 4680 cells): high-power, rugged packs for heavier UAS, robotics and vehicle platforms that need high current and durability.
- Small cylindrical line (18650, 21700, 26650 and 32700 cells): lightweight, energy-dense packs for drones, loitering systems, soldier-portable equipment and handheld devices, where every gram counts.
Automation means repeatable builds from prototype to production volume. A drone OEM can start with a small run and scale up without moving its battery program to a new supplier.
Our invitation: build a stronger Tampa Bay ecosystem together
Tampa now has the commands, the conferences, the innovation pipeline and a growing roster of drone and autonomy companies. The next step is a deeper local supplier base, so OEMs here can prototype, qualify and scale without waiting on long, fragile supply lines.
LBC wants to partner with:
- Drone and UAS manufacturers scaling from prototype to production orders
- Robotics and autonomy companies building ground, maritime and aerial platforms
- Defense primes and integrators looking for a regional battery-pack partner
- Universities, accelerators and economic-development groups working to grow advanced manufacturing in Tampa Bay
"Drones are rewriting the rules of defense, and every one of them is only as capable as the battery inside it. Tampa already has the warfighters, the operators and the innovators. Lithium Battery Company is here to add the power. We want to build the battery supply chain right here alongside Tampa Bay's drone and defense companies, so the next generation of American capability is designed, powered and scaled in one place, at the speed the mission demands." – Nathan Staron, CEO of Lithium Battery Company
How to start a battery program with LBC
- Share your voltage, capacity, peak and continuous current, envelope, weight target and connector or telemetry needs. Our RFQ checklist walks through each item.
- We match you to a reference design or scope a custom pack.
- Prototype, validate and move to production volumes.
Request a custom battery pack quote →
FAQ
Does Lithium Battery Company build battery packs for drones and UAS?
Yes. LBC builds custom LFP and NMC packs for UAV and drone OEMs, sized to propulsion peaks, flight runtime, pack mass and the airframe's connector and telemetry interface. Catalog UAV designs start at 10 units.
Where is Lithium Battery Company located?
LBC is based in Tampa, Florida, and runs automated battery pack assembly lines at Port Tampa Bay. It serves OEMs across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Can LBC work with defense and government programs?
LBC is federally registered (UEI KTAYRM6TT754, CAGE 73P65) and lists agencies including the FBI, NCIS and U.S. Army Special Forces among those it has supplied. Contact us through the quote form with your program requirements.
How do drone or defense companies partner with LBC?
Submit your requirements through the custom battery pack quote form or ask Alex, our site assistant. We review fit with a reference design or a custom build and follow up.
Sources: see sources.md. Internal links verified live on 2026-10-30: /applications/uav, /applications/defense, /applications/agv, /custom-battery-pack-quote, /custom-lithium-battery-packs, /low-moq-custom-battery-packs, plus the two blog posts linked above.