In a potential Pacific conflict, the nearest U.S. drone manufacturing facility could be thousands of miles away, leaving supply ships and aircraft vulnerable to enemy attacks while transporting components to the front lines. Defense startup Firestorm Labs believes it has a solution: a drone factory small enough to fit inside a shipping container. On Wednesday, the company announced it secured $82 million in Series B funding, led by Washington Harbour Partners, with participation from NEA, Ondas, In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen Ventures, Geodesic, Motley Fool Ventures, and others. This brings Firestorm's total funding to $153 million.

Firestorm didn't originally set out to be a factory company. It started as a drone manufacturer, but when customers began requesting production capabilities closer to combat zones, the founders recognized a strategic shift. CEO Dan Magy is a seasoned defense tech entrepreneur. His co-founders bring diverse expertise: Chad McCoy is a career special operations veteran, and CTO Ian Muceus holds over a dozen patents in 3D printing. The San Diego-based startup produces xCell, a containerized manufacturing platform capable of printing drone systems in under 24 hours. These drones aren't limited to a single function. When asked whether the platforms can be used for lethal operations, Magy confirmed they can. All platforms are delivered to uniformed Department of Defense operational commands, who deploy them according to military doctrine.

It's not just startups like Firestorm paying attention. The Pentagon has designated contested logistics—keeping weapons and supplies moving under fire—as one of only six national critical technology areas. Firestorm generates revenue through hardware sales and government contracts across all branches of the U.S. military. An Air Force contract has a $100 million ceiling, though only $27 million has been obligated so far. The technology has already seen real-world use. Currently, two xCell units are deployed domestically: one with the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York, and another with Air Force Special Operations Command in Florida, according to Magy. Firestorm declined to specify which units in the Indo-Pacific are using xCell, though the company says the platform is operational in the region.

Inside each xCell container sits an industrial-grade HP 3D printer that produces the body and shell of each drone. Under the agreement, Firestorm holds a five-year global exclusive with HP to use its industrial 3D printing technology in mobile deployment units, Magy said. The weapons themselves are not 3D-printed and are added separately, he added. The Army has also used xCell to print replacement parts for a Bradley Fighting Vehicle on-site—parts that would normally take months to procure, the CEO noted. The problem extends beyond distance. Fixed manufacturing sites are themselves targets, a vulnerability Ukraine learned the hard way. Modern conflict moves fast. Lessons from Ukraine show drone designs can change within days, not months, Magy said. For Firestorm, the Indo-Pacific is the main focus, where the company says the logistics challenges of modern conflict are hardest to solve.