Drone business opens Winchester manufacturing facility

Sterling-based Heven AeroTech plans to expand production

Sterling-based drone manufacturer Heven AeroTech has opened a new production facility in Winchester, the start of a nationwide manufacturing push by the company.

“By standing up our first East Coast facility within 90 days, we are proving that domestic [unmanned aerial system, or UAS,] manufacturing can move at tactical speed to meet the immediate and emerging needs of those carrying out critical missions,” Heven AeroTech USA President Michael Buscher said in a news release. The new plant is 56,000 square feet.

Founded in 2019, Heven AeroTech also has a manufacturing facility in Washington state and a facility in Israel.

The Winchester operation will serve as the operational blueprint for Heven AeroTech’s planned phased rollout of a network of facilities nationwide, each featuring hydrogen propulsion manufacturing capabilities. The company’s long-term vision encompasses advanced hydrogen research and development labs, automated manufacturing infrastructure and dedicated zones for co-located technology providers.

“U.S. national security demands a resilient, sovereign technology base capable of scaling beyond prototyping,” Heven AeroTech Founder and CEO Bentzion Levinson said in a statement. “The launch of Heven AeroTech’s coast-to-coast manufacturing network transitions hydrogen-powered UAS from boutique production to an industrialized, highly repeatable capability, aligning directly with the deployment mandates of our defense partners.”

In August, Rick Bartlett, head of mission systems and software at Heven AeroTech, noted in a LinkedIn post that drone companies tend to be clustered in the Columbia River Gorge in the Pacific Northwest.

“However, having facilities on both sides of the [nation] gives us that resiliency to cover any natural disasters, so we can carry on operations and still produce the aircraft that are needed by our customers,” he wrote.

The Virginia operation will support production of Heven AeroTech’s Z1, its flagship defense innovation unit that can fly up to 10 hours and can carry up to 10 pounds. Additionally, the facility allows the company to establish manufacturing processes, quality systems, supply chain infrastructure and operational discipline “required for long-term, scalable American-made UAS production,” the release stated.

Last year, Heven AeroTech announced that its Z1 had been added to the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS Cleared List with the designation Blue UAS Select. This status is given to platforms that meet supply-chain requirements, pass the U.S. Department of Defense’s cybersecurity evaluations and are formally identified by the DOD as filling an operational capability gap.

Leaders at Heven AeroTech expect to create hundreds of jobs nationally in coming years as the multi-site network expands. Recruiting is ongoing, with hiring focused on manufacturing technicians, aircraft assembly, quality, operations and supply chain roles.

In December 2025, Heven AeroTech announced it had raised $100 million in a Series B funding round that valued the company at $1 billion. Maryland-based quantum computing company IonQ led the round, alongside returning investors such as Texas Venture Partners.

In an announcement, Heven AeroTech said the funding would allow it to meet demand from the U.S. Special Operations Command, combatant commands and allied forces for long-endurance, energy-independent unmanned aerial systems.

Additionally, Heven AeroTech stated the funding would go toward expanding U.S. manufacturing capacity, building out hydrogen generation and logistics infrastructure and developing quantum-secure communications, alternative positioning and navigation systems for GPS-denied environments and AI-powered autonomous operations. The company has 154 employees, according to its website.

Heven AeroTech did not immediately respond to a request for comment this week.