Parallel Flight strikes APAC distribution deal with Drone Forge

Parallel Flight Technologies has named Australia-based Drone Forge as its distributor for the Firefly heavy-lift drone across Asia-Pacific, starting in Australia and its territories. The deal is meant to boost local sales, support and adoption in defense, maritime and industrial markets where long-endurance UAS demand is rising.

Why it matters: - The deal gives Parallel Flight Technologies a regional sales and support channel in Asia-Pacific for its Firefly heavy-lift unmanned aerial system. - The partnership targets markets with growing demand for long-endurance, heavy-lift aerial capability, including defense, maritime operations, mining, wildland fire management and critical infrastructure. - Local distribution could shorten sales cycles and improve customer support as Parallel Flight pushes Firefly into new geographies.

What happened: - Parallel Flight Technologies announced a strategic distribution partnership with Drone Forge, an Australia-based advanced drone solutions provider. - Drone Forge will distribute the Firefly platform across the broader Asia-Pacific region, with an initial focus on Australia and its territories. - The announcement was made Oct. 15, 2026. - Parallel Flight said the partnership is designed to expand Firefly’s reach and strengthen regional support.

The details: - Under the agreement, Drone Forge will serve as the Australian and Asia-Pacific regional distributor for Firefly. - Drone Forge will support sales, customer integration and in-region operations. - Drone Forge is expected over time to add authorized service, maintenance and training capabilities. - Firefly is NDAA-compliant and classified as a Group 3 UAS. - Firefly is produced in the U.S. and is described as a two-person-portable quadcopter that fits in the back of a pickup truck. - The platform uses Parallel Flight’s patented Parallel Hybrid Electric Multirotor propulsion system. - Firefly can carry payloads up to 100 lb. and deliver up to 10x the endurance of all-electric UAS. - The aircraft can provide up to 2 kW of continuous in-flight power to payloads. - Firefly is protected by five patents and supported by ONR, DIU, USDA, NASA and NSF. - Parallel Flight links the platform to expeditionary defense and industrial missions, as well as wildfire response, medical and remote logistics, agriculture, utilities and critical defense use cases. - Drone Forge is a platform-agnostic uncrewed systems integrator working across air, land and maritime domains. - Drone Forge says it deploys, integrates and sustains UAV, USV and UUV systems for defense, government and critical infrastructure, with support for ISR, domain awareness, force protection and asset monitoring. - Drone Forge also provides acquisition, compliance, training and full lifecycle support. - Parallel Flight provided a contact email for Sarah Abdi at sarah.abdi@parallelflight.com. - Drone Forge provided a contact email for Madison Coster at communications@droneforge.com.au. - Parallel Flight also shared its LinkedIn page: Parallel Flight Technologies.

Between the lines: - The partnership signals Parallel Flight is leaning on a local operator to build credibility in a region where defense and industrial customers often want in-country support. - Drone Forge’s plan to expand into service, maintenance and training suggests the companies want more than a simple resale arrangement. - The emphasis on hybrid propulsion and endurance is a direct response to the limits of traditional electric drones for longer missions and heavier payloads.

What's next: - Drone Forge will begin distributing Firefly across APAC, starting with Australia and nearby territories. - The distributor role is expected to expand over time into service, maintenance and training. - Parallel Flight is likely to use the partnership to accelerate adoption of Firefly in defense, maritime and industrial markets across the region.

The bottom line: - Parallel Flight is using Drone Forge to turn Firefly from a U.S.-built heavy-lift drone into a regionally supported APAC product.