Draganfly, DelMar to Deliver Flex FPV Drones and Training to AFSOC

Draganfly Inc. announced it has been awarded to provide its Flex FPV drones and a comprehensive FPV training program to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command units, with DelMar Aerospace to lead instruction at DelMar’s Camp Pendleton UAS range. The first training cohort is scheduled to begin in mid-February, and the program will focus on foundational First Person View UAS instruction alongside advanced mission planning and execution.

The curriculum is detailed and hands-on. Training activities will include FPV assembly, repair and maintenance, flight skills and flight operations, and advanced mission planning designed to replicate a range of battlefield scenarios in a controlled, purpose-built environment. DelMar will lead curriculum development, instruction delivery, and standards alignment to ensure compliance with U.S. Government contracting and security requirements. Draganfly will supply its Flex FPV platforms as the core training system, framed in the release as an operationally proven modular backbone.

Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly, framed the partnership around mission readiness: “Our shared focus is on readiness and combat capability. Partnering with DelMar Aerospace ensures operators are training on systems and tactics designed for real‑world conditions, with the Flex’s modularity and reliability required to adapt as missions and threats evolve.” The company also described the product architecture in sweeping terms: “Draganfly's FLEX APV serves as the modular backbone for future small UAS configurations, uniquely capable of meeting evolving Department of War operational requirements from Drone Dominance to Special Operations.” That characterization comes directly from the press release and is presented as the company’s framing of the technology.

For the drone racing community, the announcement is a signal of accelerating convergence between competitive FPV sport and tactical UAS development. The program’s focus on assembly, repair, and advanced mission planning highlights professional skill sets that racing pilots already prize - throttle control, split-second spatial awareness, and rapid field repairs - but now codified in formal military training. Expect trickle-down effects: modular payload standards, hardened components, and formalized training pipelines could raise the bar for race equipment and pilot preparation. At the same time, the Prnewswire phrasing linking tactical surveillance with “optional lethality” raises ethical and safety questions for sport pilots and event organizers as capabilities migrate from government ranges to the consumer market.

Financial details of the contract remain undisclosed. Outlets reported market reactions with differing quotes; one noted a CSE last trade at C$9.97 while another reported a U.S. premarket price of $7.15 and a 1.92 percent dip. Those figures reflect separate market feeds and should be verified with live data.

This partnership underscores an industry trend: FPV piloting is evolving from grassroots sport into a recognized technical discipline with career pathways and national security relevance. For racers, that means faster tech cycles, more professional standards, and new debates about where performance enhancements cross into militarized applications. Watch for follow-up details on cohort size, exact start dates, and any clarification on the “optional lethality” wording as the training program progresses.