How a Utah company is helping America keep pace in today's global military 'drone race'

SALT LAKE CITY — A massive American flag stretches wide across the factory wall of Vector Defense Inc. in Bluffdale.

But "Old Glory" is not merely for decoration here.

Instead, the flag is "a reminder of what we're doing, what we're serving, and who we're standing up to serve," Vector CEO and founder Andy Yakulis told the Deseret News.

"It helps us rally around the concept that the American war fighter needs the most up-to-date technology. And right now, that's unmanned systems drones. … We're all very focused on achieving that mission — making sure we're streamlining the best-in-class technology to the American war fighter."

The minute-to-minute headlines from combat hot spots such as Ukraine and the Persian Gulf echo an emerging combat reality: Drones are changing the very character of war.

And militarized unmanned aircraft systems are presenting a battlefield paradox. Today's drones are relatively cheap — but they are also increasingly deadly. Drones are reportedly responsible for 75% of Ukraine war casualties.

As Forbes reported, drones are not merely a new weapon — they are a new era of warfare. "The closest historical analogy may be the tank, introduced during World War I, which broke the murderous stalemate of trench warfare."

Gov. Cox: Utah's drone industry can protect service members, strengthen economy

Now Vector Defense Inc. — and by extension, the Beehive State — are increasingly positioned as key players in accelerating the country's military-grade drone ecosystem.

On his LinkedIn page, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently announced in a video that Utah is "answering the call to build America's drone industrial base" — while furthering American drone dominance.

The state's growing drone industry, he noted, "strengthens our economy and supports those who defend our nation."

National security, said Cox, depends on building critical technology quickly, reliably and at scale — and in a regulatory friendly environment.

Utah's drone industrial base, he added, prioritizes domestic manufacturing, vertical integration and rapid delivery to those charged with protecting the country.

"We move fast, cut through red tape, and we support companies that are willing to build here at home," said Cox. "Government and industry will lead the way — manufacturing in Utah, integrating in Utah, and delivering real capability with speed and discipline.

"That's how we protect our service members. That's how we strengthen our economy."

What's 'warfare as a service'?

Protecting America's men and women in uniform while maximizing their drone capability serve as dual missions for Yakulis and his Vector team.

A West Point grad, Yakulis spent almost two decades in the U.S. Army — including significant duty serving in special operations.

The former Army helicopter pilot remembers utilizing military drones such as the Reaper that searches for targets and can be used to shoot missiles similar to an airplane.

"But the drones that are being used now are being used like munitions — a one-way attack," he said. "People sometimes call them like suicide drones. That was nowhere on our radar when I was in uniform."

Near the end of his Army tenure, Yakulis recognized a market gap as unmanned drone systems were being used in massive quantities in Ukraine as part of the nation's ongoing war with Russia.

Simultaneously, the drone tech across Ukraine's front lines was iterating at lightning speeds.

"And so we saw these two things change, which created this revolution of military affairs. More tech being used. More drones being used. And faster iteration on the design of the drones."

During his Army officer career, Yakulis became well acquainted with the U.S. defense procurement system. It can take several years, he said, to get a piece of technology from research and development to actually be utilized by warfighters in combat.

Given the speedy "tech refresh" pace in Ukraine, America's legacy procurement system presents "a massive imbalance," he added.

By launching Vector in 2024, Yakulis set out to create a new model of providing expendable — aka "attritable" — drones to the American military.

But the company does more than simply sell a piece of drone tech hardware. That's only one component.

"We came up with this idea that I call 'modern warfare as a service.'"

Vector sells to the military a "service-based contract" that involves training, product and capability development — and the large-scale delivery of unmanned systems.

"But because the military isn't buying the drone, we don't have to go through the legacy seven- to 10-year procurement model," explained Yakulis.

"We can sell you a service today — and underneath that service provide you the best drone that exists on the market today. And then tomorrow, I can provide you with an updated drone underneath that same service contract."

And while Vector may be headquartered in the southwest end of Salt Lake County, it functions as a global enterprise.

The company has a team stationed in Ukraine, and another in Israel. There, they observe how drone systems are being used — and then bring those insights back to Utah to update their drone training and the designs.

"We have to make a concerted effort to stay up-to-date with how warfare is constantly changing," said Yakulis.

"That's why it's so important for us to have a footprint in war zones — and that's why it's so important to have our leadership and a lot of our engineers cycle through those war zones to make sure they understand how technology has evolved."

Read the full story at Deseret News.

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