Powerus, a Florida based start-up, is manufacturing low-cost drone interceptors in a UAE factory as part of a plan to scale global production to 15,000 units a month by 2027.
Inside a small warehouse in the United Arab Emirates, workers are putting in shifts as long as 12 hours, snapping together 3-D printed parts to build interceptors that can take down Iranian drones traveling at speeds up to 200 miles per hour. The facility only opened last month, but it’s already central to a much bigger plan.
The factory belongs to a network tied to Powerus, a start-up based in West Palm Beach, Florida. This is the company’s first expansion into the Middle East, and according to a report from The New York Times, it marks a broader push to turn Powerus into a global weapons supplier.
From Thousands to Tens of Thousands a Month
Right now, factories connected to Powerus turn out about 3,000 drone interceptors every month. That number is nowhere near enough for what the company has planned. The goal is to build a global network of factories capable of producing 15,000 interceptors a month by the middle of 2027.
Powerus has kept quiet about who exactly is buying these weapons or which contractor is running the Emirati factory. What is clear is the strategy behind the scale-up. Rather than building brand new factories in the United States and shipping weapons overseas, the company is partnering with manufacturers already operating in the regions that need the interceptors most. That means faster production and quicker delivery, something that matters a lot given how urgently allied nations are asking for these weapons.
Why the Emirates Needs Interceptors Now
The war with Iran, which started in February, pushed the pace of this shift into overdrive. The Emirates had already been considering ways to build more of its own weapons domestically, but the conflict made that need immediate. Civilian infrastructure in the country became one of Iran’s primary targets, a move widely seen as an attempt to demonstrate power over a nation viewed as a symbol of regional wealth and stability.
The numbers show just how intense the bombardment has been. More than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,200 drones have hit targets inside the Emirates since the war began. At least 15 people have died, hundreds more have been hurt, an oil refinery was shut down, and two Amazon data centers were destroyed. With American-made interceptor stockpiles running low, the pressure to find alternatives has only grown.
Meet the Guardian
The interceptor at the center of this effort is called the Guardian. It functions like a small missile, built to slam into airborne threats such as drones before they can reach their intended target. Each one costs around $5,000, and the design borrows heavily from a Ukrainian model that proved effective against Russian Shahed drones during that conflict.
What makes the Guardian different is how it’s built. Powerus designed the components to click together almost like building blocks, using widely available microchips and GPS modules instead of specialized, hard to source parts. There is a limit to what it can do. Unlike Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 system, the Guardian cannot intercept ballistic missiles. It is built specifically to counter drones like the Shaheds, which happen to be Iran’s most frequently used weapon.
How the Emirati Factory Works
Michael Sinensky, co-founder and executive vice president of marketing at Powerus, explained that the company supplied its Emirati manufacturing partner with everything needed to start building the interceptors, including training, parts, and software. The entire setup was built around one priority: speed.
At the moment, the mostly Filipino and Chinese workforce at the factory assembles about 30 interceptors daily. The company hopes to push that number up to 100 a day in the near future.
Contracts Piling Up
Business has been picking up fast. Powerus recently announced a $22 million commercial contract to help protect oil and gas infrastructure across the Middle East. It has also partnered with a defense company located near Mumbai to begin producing interceptors in India as well.