Knightwerx

Knightwerx is proud to have participated in and completed the most recent FUSE Accelerator program, an important milestone in our continued growth as an Arizona-based defense technology company. FUSE provided more than a traditional accelerator experience. For Knightwerx, it created a bridge into a broader defense innovation ecosystem that includes government stakeholders, industry partners, investors, and regional leaders who understand the urgency of building useful capability for national security users.

Knightwerx was recently featured by Atoms Not Bits, a media platform focused on hard tech, industrial innovation, and the physical economy. For our team, the feature represents meaningful recognition of what we are building and why it matters. There is a growing understanding across the defense and technology communities that software alone is not enough. The next generation of national security capability will depend on companies that can build real systems: aircraft, sensors, propulsion, autonomy, energy storage, payloads, and manufacturing processes that perform outside the lab.

Knightwerx is working with Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) to integrate agentic artificial intelligence onto the Sandman unmanned aircraft system, bringing advanced decision-support capability closer to the frontline operator. This partnership reflects a core belief at Knightwerx: the future of unmanned systems is not simply about aircraft. It is about intelligent, mission-relevant tools that help humans make faster, better-informed decisions in complex environments.

Knightwerx was recently featured in the Phoenix Business Journal following our relocation from Camarillo, California, to Scottsdale, Arizona. The article highlighted an important milestone for the company: our move into a defense and manufacturing ecosystem that is increasingly aligned with the next generation of autonomous systems. For Knightwerx, the relocation is not just a change of address. It is a strategic step in our growth. We are building unmanned aircraft systems and sensor technologies for demanding defense, security, and operational environments. That requires engineering talent, manufacturing capacity, access to test and demonstration opportunities, and proximity to a community that understands both innovation and mission urgency. Arizona offers that combination.

Knightwerx is proud to have been selected, with its partner Beyond Energy Innovation (BEI), as a first-round award recipient in the xTech Adaptive Strike competition, a program focused on accelerating technologies that can improve operational capability for the warfighter. BEI is an advanced battery company developing ultra-lightweight lithium-metal battery technology for unmanned aircraft, robotics, aerospace, and defense applications.

At Knightwerx, we believe that impact starts before contact. For small, unmanned aircraft operating in contested environments, the ability to arrive quietly, loiter without drawing attention, and execute a mission without being detected can be just as important as speed, range, or payload. That principle was reinforced at last August at T-REX 25-2. Technology Readiness Experimentations, known as T-REX, are recurring events hosted by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. For Knightwerx, being invited to T-REX 25-2 was significant because the event brought together military leaders, industry partners, allied representatives, and operational evaluators to assess emerging defense technologies under realistic conditions.

Fresh out of school, Pili Zinkewich is already designing next-generation drone airframes at Knightwerx. Her work highlights the growing impact of women driving innovation in defense tech.

Following a successful assessment by OUSD at TREX 25-1, Knightwerx will return to Camp Atterbury this August for TREX 25-2. The team is focused on showcasing tactical readiness and UAS innovation.

Knightwerx is advancing a revolutionary propulsion system in collaboration with leading university labs. The research positions the team at the forefront of next-gen drone performance.