Rownd, Inc. today announced its new AI, drone, and autonomy systems, keeping national security top of mind. The company is bringing drones out of stealth with its cost-effective, autonomous, and attritable capabilities. Rownd has secured a $10 million contract with the Department of War, along with other contracts in an effort to out-iterate the enemy and protect Americans from foreign threats.

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U.S. military personnel work on a drone during a Rownd exercise in Alabama on Oct. 8, 2026. Photo courtesy of Rownd, Inc.

U.S. military personnel work on a drone during a Rownd exercise in Alabama on Oct. 8, 2026. Photo courtesy of Rownd, Inc.

Central to this mission is Rownd’s operational framework, designed to turn field experience into rapid improvements to software, AI models, and hardware performance. Its architectures prioritize onboard processing and decision-making, giving individual systems the agency to respond to local conditions while supporting collaboration across platforms—even when swarms get disconnected and continuous cloud connectivity is unavailable. In these instances, Rownd’s AI software takes over, letting individual drones communicate with each other without centralized ground control.

Rownd’s expansion is expected to create 22 careers across Wisconsin and North Carolina, bringing next-generation manufacturing positions and autonomy development roles to each state. As part of its expansion plans, the company is opening a drone research and development center in Richfield, Wisconsin on October 27.

“At Rownd, we’re focused on attritable mass. That means sending more drones into combat that are easy to launch, easy to control, and can be quickly replaced if lost on the battlefield. This allows for seamless missions and prioritizing safety of American soldiers over everything else,” said Robert Thelen, CEO and co-founder of Rownd.

In October, Rownd put its autonomy software to the test during a three-day exercise with Air Force personnel in Alabama. Quadcopters completed 41 flights, including four mobile flights and four fleet tests with AI running onboard. The exercise also marked the first time Rownd flew a drone swarm, launching up to three drones in the air at once. Each night, the team used that day’s flight data to retrain the drones’ computer-vision models, then loaded the updates onto the aircraft before the next day’s missions, leading to significantly higher accuracy.

With operations in North Carolina and Wisconsin, Rownd is helping keep American military personnel safe, while supporting prospective partners and the broader technology community.

Robert Thelen, Rownd’s CEO and co-founder, is available for media interviews to discuss the company’s technology, expansion plans, and approach to defense autonomy. To schedule an interview, contact Carter Walsh at carter@rownd.io.

About Rownd

Rownd is a Y Combinator-backed defense autonomy company. Its mission is to protect the United States through its economical, attritable and autonomous drones. Rownd was founded by a combat veteran and x-IBMers. The company currently has multiple contracts with the Department of War. Rownd is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, with flight-test operations in Richfield, Wisconsin. More information is available at rownd.com.

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