American Autonomy, Inc. traces its roots to 2018, when the company operated as Rantizo and focused on drone-based aerial spraying for agriculture. In 2025 – after selling its spraying division – the firm rebranded to American Autonomy to centre its business on software for autonomous drone systems. The new platform is designed to give farmers ownership and portability of operational data, and to help manufacturer compete with “closed” Chinese systems that lock critical flight and application records inside proprietary tools.
The timing is deliberate. American Autonomy claims that in the US, 93% of agricultural drones are manufactured in China, and most run on closed, proprietary stacks that restrict access to the very data farmers and service providers need to run their operations. As import restrictions and supply chain volatility bite, farmers have faced higher costs, fewer options, and data trapped inside foreign-controlled silos. American Autonomy’s pitch is straightforward: help operators keep flying while reclaiming their data and futureproofing against policy and supply shocks.
“US officials have raised concerns that Chinese-made drones could expose sensitive agricultural and operational data to foreign entities,” said Mariah Scott, CEO of American Autonomy. “Our platform mitigates these risks by ensuring full compliance with US security standards. It is developed entirely by US-based engineers and hosted exclusively on AWS infrastructure within the United States.”
Policy pressures loom
Chinese drone makers like DJI and Autel Robotics have until December 23, 2025 to undergo a national security review by a designated US agency under Section 1709 of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Failing this they will automatically be added to the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List, which effectively prohibits new models from operating on US communications infrastructure.
Scott argues American Autonomy is designed for precisely this moment: U.S-built software, hosted domestically, with modern authentication (MFA, SSO), encryption in transit and at rest, and a secure cloud architecture with no public exposure of critical services, backed by continuous monitoring and incident response processes.
“Current federal policy aims to reduce reliance on Chinese drones and components, including flight software and data integration tools,” she said. “American Autonomy addresses this by providing US-built alternatives, strengthening security and compliance while supporting a domestic ecosystem.”
Bridging the gap: transition tools for DJI and XAG operators
One of American Autonomy’s top priorities is minimizing operational disruption as operators move away from Chinese platforms. The company offers a hands-on migration path, including:
- Historical data retrieval and import: Where export is possible, past flight logs from Chinese drones can be retrieved, evaluated and imported into American Autonomy’s platform for secure storage and continuity.
- AcreConnect®: Software enabling bulk uploads of historical flight logs from DJI and XAG, plus tools to manage spray operations, download and securely store logs, and create/share application maps.
- Ground control station & data manager: Delivered via drone manufacturer partners for integrated workflows.
- US-based training and support: Practical onboarding and seasonal support to “keep operators flying and productive while moving to a secure, future-ready system.”
“Our goal is simple: keep operators flying and productive while moving to a secure, future-ready system,” Scott said. “In many cases, if we can retrieve flight logs, we can evaluate and import them.”
Building a domestic ecosystem: partnerships and price realities
American Autonomy says it is partnering with US manufacturers to introduce affordable, American-made alternatives while enabling operators to continue using their current fleets under a secure, U.S-hosted data model. In October, the company announced a partnership to integrate its platform with Exedy Drone’s agricultural systems, a move Scott describes as foundational to “a competitive US-based ecosystem.”
These collaborations reduce reliance on foreign systems, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate innovation, ensuring farmers have access to secure, high-quality, and affordable technology that supports US jobs and national security priorities,” she said. “We’re actively seeking additional partnerships to accelerate this shift.”
Price remains a hard truth, however. US-built drones are, on average, three times more expensive than Chinese options, Scott acknowledges. American Autonomy’s strategy is to lower total system cost and deployment friction through software: by giving manufacturers a ready-to-deploy operating layer purpose-built for agriculture, they can ship more cost-effective, reliable, and easier-to-use systems faster, narrowing the gap with Chinese incumbents.
The risk case: concentration, fragility and food security
Scott warns that continued reliance on Chinese drones creates single-supplier exposure across hardware, components and software. Any disruption – from geopolitics to trade disputes to natural disasters – could halt supplies of drones and parts, jeopardizing farm operations during critical windows. Market dominance, she argues, also suppresses US innovation and ecosystem resilience, with knock-on effects for food security.
“If this isn’t addressed, the US faces long-term dependence on foreign technology, reduced competitiveness, and vulnerabilities that threaten food security,” she said.
Beyond spraying: toward horizontal autonomy and interoperable data
She adds that reducing reliance on Chinese drones opens new opportunities for aerial autonomy beyond spraying and spreading: “Drone technology is evolving fast – and so are the industries that rely on it.” She envisages the American Autonomy platform adapting to serve more markets and use cases. “Today, spray drones generate critical data about where, when, and how treatments happen,” she said. “Our software makes that data easy to access and use, so operators can make informed decisions.”
The longer-term goal is an open, horizontal operating system for agriculture: easy data management, exchange and portability across multiple OEMs and use cases without replicating the proprietary lock-in that characterizes today’s closed stacks.
“The changing regulatory and tariff environment is creating a major opportunity for the US drone market,” Scott said. “Instead of replicating DJI with costly, proprietary systems that lock up data, we can lead with a new model – an open, horizontal operating system where easy data management and exchange are core requirements. This approach unlocks aerial autonomy and delivers solutions that help farmers make better decisions.”
