US Spray Drone Sales Fell 60% in 2025 as Exedy Opens $1,000 Reservations

US sales of new agricultural spray drones dropped 60% in 2025, from 8,950 units in 2024 to 3,711, according to the American Spray Drone Coalition (ASDC) — and a new Michigan-based manufacturer is now taking $1,000 reservations to fill that supply gap.

Exedy Drones has opened reservations for its Ayre CX spray drone, targeting first deliveries in spring 2027. The company is taking $1,000 reservations for the first 500 aircraft, with $750 refundable until customers convert to a purchase deposit, Scott Binder, VP engineering, operations and technology, told AgFunderNews.

"A reservation holds a numbered place in the production line through one of our authorized dealers," the firm said.

What is Exedy offering?

Exedy Drones is based in Michigan and owned by EXEDY Globalparts Corporation, part of EXEDY Corp, a Japanese manufacturer of automotive drivetrain components. The Ayre CX carries a 13-gallon (50-liter) tank, placing it in the mid-size class of spray drones on the market today.

"We're not putting a delivery date on it," Binder said. "The aircraft moves forward as it passes a series of milestones, from field validation to spray validation to a production build, and we'll publish each one as it's met so customers can follow along. Customers see the results before they convert to a purchase."

The aircraft combines locally and globally sourced components, with software coded in the US and data stored on US servers. Assembly takes place on a production line in Southeast Michigan, Binder said.

"For the first phase, we're bringing on about 20 dealer groups from roughly 30 locations," Binder said. "The network will grow with production, not ahead of it."

What does the FCC ban change?

The FCC's December 2025 decision bans sales of new models of foreign-made drones and critical components in the US. Firms can still import foreign-made products already approved, and the FCC has granted a series of exemptions for new equipment from several overseas firms following national-security reviews by the Department of War.

Binder said confusion persists. The Ayre CX received FCC Conditional Approval in July (DA 26-768), meaning all its components can be imported, sold and operated in the US. He stressed that conditional approval and NDAA compliance are two different things: the first follows a Department of War review of the aircraft, its bill of materials and supply chain, while NDAA rules govern what federal agencies and federally funded projects can buy.

"There is definitely a lot of uncertainty," Binder said. "Spray drones went from a novelty to essential equipment very quickly, and many operators built their businesses on aircraft whose supply they don't control. Downtime is the most expensive thing on the farm."

He put a number on that risk: an operator covering 250 acres a day at $15 an acre could lose roughly $26,000 in work during a week on the ground waiting for a part.

Binder said drone users want three things: "Reliability: an aircraft supported by people they can reach, with parts that show up when needed. Accessibility: an aircraft and parts they can actually get. Compliance: an aircraft that's cleared to be sold and flown here, so they aren't buying a question mark."

How much US content will the drone have?

Exedy still sources some parts from overseas, but Binder said the company has recently increased its US content "by a large percentage," putting it ahead of the onshoring schedule it initially communicated to the FCC.

"Our goal is that our initial release has as much US content in it as possible," Binder said. "This includes 100% US based software in terms of both the flight controller firmware and the GCS."

He acknowledged the cost challenge: "On cost, it's a real challenge, and an American drone will cost more up front. But we'd rather have that conversation on return on investment than on sticker price, because downtime is what really costs operators."

Exedy has not disclosed pricing. "We're careful not to price the aircraft out of reach," Binder said. "We'd rather be honest about where we are today and improve step by step than promise something we can't deliver."

Why does market context matter?

The FCC has also proposed cracking down on foreign-made "military grade" drones, a move that could effectively ban sales of existing foreign-made models from Chinese players such as DJI that have already been approved. DJI shipments have also been periodically blocked by US Customs and Border Protection on forced-labor grounds; DJI calls those claims "categorically false."

Chinese firms XAG, EAVision and Talos picked up some of DJI's slack, and US firms are building domestic manufacturing alone or with overseas partners, but demand still exceeds supply, ASDC president Eric Ringer told AgFunderNews.

"That was not because of a lack of demand," Ringer said of the 2025 sales drop. "That was because of a lack of supply."

Binder said the turbulence is the case for domestic production: "The US still leads in innovation. What's missing is manufacturing scale, and clear policy is what justifies building it here. We think US agriculture needs a spray drone that's engineered, built and supported here, by a company that will still be standing behind it years from now."