Swarm Aero opens Fayetteville drone factory
by February 18, 2026 5:10 pm 4,465 views
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, speaks at an event to announce the opening of a drone factory in Fayetteville. California-based drone maker Swarm Aero hosted the event at its new 80,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center.
Oxnard, Calif.-based drone manufacturer Swarm Aero has opened an 80,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center at Drake Field in Fayetteville to accelerate development and deployment of large drones, or uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), for defense purposes.
The company on Wednesday (Feb. 18) held a ribbon cutting for the new facility.
According to a news release, the company’s Arkansas operations will make thousands of drones and employ hundreds of engineers and technicians over the next decade. The company declined to provide an investment amount for the new center.
Swarm aims to make large drones that allow the United States to defend itself and its allies without putting pilots in harm’s way. The new center will help to make this a reality. Swarm’s pioneering approach to produce composite airframes will allow manufacturing “at volumes not seen since World War II,” the release shows.
“We looked at over 20 states before deciding to put down manufacturing roots in Fayetteville,” said Danny Goodman, CEO and co-founder of Swarm Aero. “We chose Northwest Arkansas because of the exceptional talent and partners, and we’re thrilled to continue our growth here. Large UAVs are the future of armed conflict. When paired with our swarm command and control software, they can achieve major combat objectives by cooperating with superhuman dexterity while being several times cheaper than traditional aircraft.”
Swarm Aero was founded in 2022 to provide the U.S. Armed Forces and allies with defense capabilities to meet requirements for the Pacific theater. The drone maker’s employees have completed billions of dollars in contracts involving the Department of Defense and have decades of aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Airbus, and Archer. The company uses artificial intelligence and autonomy in its swarming technology, providing the U.S. military with new drone use cases and helping to save lives by keeping troops out of harm’s way.
“Swarm’s decision to open their manufacturing facility in Northwest Arkansas reinforces what we know to be true: Our region is a destination for advanced manufacturing and next-generation aerospace innovation,” said Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council. “Swarm’s presence here will create meaningful, high-quality jobs while opening new pathways for collaboration with our universities, technical schools and workforce programs.”
Swarm Aero is working to double its aircraft team in 2026 and is hiring across the company, which also has locations in Spokane, Wash., and Washington, D.C. The Fayetteville job openings include a senior composites technician in research and development, and a materials and process engineer in composites research and development. According to the job posts, the salary ranges for the positions are $60,000 to $100,000 and $155,000 to $200,000, respectively.
A company spokesperson said Swarm Aero is leasing the Fayetteville location at 3660 S. School Ave.
According to county records, the property is owned by Fayetteville-based Hanna’s Candle Co., which paid $1 million for it in December 2015. The seller was Cleveland-based Cooper Power Systems LLC, whose parent company was acquired by Eaton for $11.8 billion in 2012.