Seven Drone-Related Public Companies To Watch In 2026

The draft version of this post framed the topic as the "best drone stocks" for 2026. A fact check changes that framing. DJI and Skydio are not publicly traded stocks, and Teal Drones is exposure through its parent company, Red Cat Holdings. For operators and market watchers, the more accurate question is which public companies offer meaningful drone-related exposure.

This is not investment advice. It is an industry map. The drone market is growing, with one Insight Partners-linked report projecting the UAV drone market at about $123 billion by 2034, but public-market exposure is uneven. Some companies are pure-play drone manufacturers, while others are defense, autonomy or infrastructure businesses with drone segments.

Public Companies To Watch

AeroVironment, ticker AVAV, remains one of the clearest public drone and counter-UAS names, with products across small UAS, loitering munitions and counter-drone systems.

Red Cat Holdings, ticker RCAT, is the public-market route to Teal Drones and other small UAS programs focused on defense and public-sector use cases.

Draganfly, ticker DPRO, is a Canadian drone company with public listings in the U.S. and Canada, and it continues to position around defense, public safety and specialty UAS applications.

Ondas Holdings, ticker ONDS, is not only a drone company. Its autonomous systems business includes American Robotics and Airobotics, which makes it relevant to docked drone and industrial autonomy discussions.

Parrot, ticker PARRO on Euronext Paris, remains one of the better-known European drone companies, with a focus on professional and government markets.

Kratos Defense, ticker KTOS, is a broader defense company, but its unmanned systems work makes it relevant when tracking military UAS spending.

AgEagle Aerial Systems, operating as EagleNXT under ticker UAVS, remains a smaller public drone name tied to autonomous UAS, sensors and mapping-oriented platforms.

The Operator Lens

For commercial drone operators, the useful signal is not a daily share price. It is where capital is flowing: autonomy, counter-UAS, defense production, Blue UAS supply chains, docked inspection systems and enterprise data workflows. Public companies can show that signal, but they do not tell the whole story.

The Bottom Line

The drone market is investable, but it is not clean. The biggest consumer and enterprise name, DJI, is private. One of the most important U.S. autonomy companies, Skydio, is also private. Public exposure exists, but it requires careful separation between pure-play drone companies, defense suppliers and broader technology platforms.