Skydio to resume drone production after coronavirus shutdown

California-based Skydio makes one of the most talked-about but least seen drones on the market today. The Skydio 2 stands out for its impressive subject tracking, which basically allows it to fly autonomously while filming the subject of a video.

But the drone has been elusive. For one, the company has been overwhelmed with orders. It was already contending with a production backlog before the coronavirus hit. With the lockdowns that took effect in California in March, Skydio’s domestic production has been shuttered.

Already at a disadvantage to much larger rival DJI, Skydio suffered by being located in the country with the highest spread of the coronavirus, and in a state with some of the strictest lockdown orders. Meanwhile, China has largely recovered from the pandemic, allowing DJI’s factories to ramp up in time to pump out its hot new model, the Mavic Air 2.

But conditions are about to change. Skydio informs DroneDJ that its production is about to come back online. “We’re stoked to be able to start shipping drones out to our loyal (and very patient) customers,” the company tells DroneDJ. Skydio didn’t offer specific details about when products would start shipping again and in what kind of volumes, however. Placing an order on the site still brings up a message that California manufacturing has been temporarily halted.

But in any case, it’s good news to know that this promising company will be back in the game, able to compete again with strong rivals Autel and of course DJI. Welcome back, Skydio.