U.S. drone-makers debut at Singapore Airshow eyeing Asia sales amid China threat

Several U.S. drone firms made their debuts at the Singapore Airshow this week, seeking to expand their business beyond the Pentagon to countries in Asia that are increasingly concerned about the threat posed by China’s military buildup.

The lethal success of drones on both sides of Russia’s war in Ukraine has sparked a surge of Silicon Valley investment in drone and military artificial intelligence startups, boosting the valuations of U.S. firms like California-based Anduril Industries and Shield AI.

This wave of interest in the next generation ‍of warfare is reshaping the character of major air shows that have been long-dominated by gleaming commercial airliners, daredevil fighter ‍jets and troop-carrying helicopters.