Draper, Utah — October 24, 2025
Former Army aviator Andy Yakulis leads Vector’s mission to deliver drones “at the speed of the modern battlefield.”
Utah’s defense innovation scene continues to gain altitude. Vector, a recently founded and fast-growing drone manufacturer headquartered in Draper, UT, has secured a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This award marks a significant validation for the company’s “drone-as-a-service” model and its push to get cutting-edge technology into the hands of warfighters faster.
Founded in 2024 by CEO and Co-Founder Andy Yakulis, a West Point graduate, Army Special Operations veteran, and Stanford-trained technologist, Vector builds and operates attritable drones—low-cost, high-impact aircraft designed for frontline use and rapid iteration. Yakulis explains, “We’re taking lessons from modern battlefields like Ukraine and bringing that speed of innovation directly to U.S. forces.”
From West Point to Vector
Yakulis entered the U.S. Military Academy shortly after 9/11, serving nearly two decades as an aviation officer and Special Operations pilot. He recalls flying the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter on multiple deployments to Iraq, stating, “I was the recipient of a lot of poor military technology. I’d look at my iPhone and wonder why the tech in my pocket was better than what I had in my helicopter.”
After earning a graduate degree from Stanford, Yakulis led modernization initiatives at Army Futures Command and later served as the Army’s representative to the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital. Leaving the Army just shy of retirement, he founded Vector, believing “the time to move faster was now.”
The SOCOM Partnership
Under the multi-year agreement announced earlier this year, Vector will deliver drones along with critical integration and broader capability delivery “at the speed of the modern battlefield” for Special Operations forces. This cements Vector’s status as a “chosen capability provider for America’s most elite warfighters,” as described by SOCOM.
Yakulis sees the SOCOM deal as “a significant endorsement,” emphasizing that “SOCOM’s operators move fast—they expect systems that evolve as quickly as the fight itself. That’s exactly what our model delivers.” The award follows Vector’s rapid growth, including raising $61 million in venture capital from Utah investors such as Pelion Venture Partners, Run Capital, Kickstart Fund, and Dauntless Capital.
Drones as a Service
Vector’s unique approach, referred to as “Modern Warfare as a Service,” diverges from traditional sales models. Instead of selling drones as static products, the company utilizes a subscription-based model, allowing military clients to access, upgrade, and replace drones without waiting for lengthy procurement cycles. “If you sell a drone as a service, you can iterate much faster,” Yakulis explained. “The attritable nature of these systems—drones that are expendable by design—means we can refresh and improve every generation.”
Vector’s attritable drones allow for the deployment of large numbers of low-cost aircraft against higher-value targets. Yakulis notes, “The economics of warfare have flipped on their head. In Ukraine, a $1,000 drone plus munition can destroy a $10 million tank. Even if one or two don’t hit, the price point is low enough that mass deployment achieves the mission.”
The company currently fields several drone platforms tailored to different missions:
- Hammer (10-inch propeller drone): Designed for outdoor, longer-range operations. It can carry military-integrated munitions, and its fiber-optic cable control renders it immune to jamming. As Yakulis puts it: “You could have a $50 million jammer trying to stop this drone, and it won’t work. There’s no radio frequency to jam.”
- Mace (5-inch propeller drone): Smaller and optimized for confined operations, such as urban or forested environments, where agility is paramount.
- 3.5-inch propeller indoor drone: Specially designed for internal clearance of buildings, facilitating reconnaissance or tactical operations in enclosed spaces.
Each drone is part of a broader, integrated service. Vector provides not merely kinetic capability but also tactical training, operational doctrine updates, and ongoing upgrades to ensure warfighters are prepared for real-world combat scenarios. “We exist to make sure the military is trained and ready with both the products and the training to fight the next war,” Yakulis stated.
The subscription contracts, including the SOCOM deal, are multi-year with a ceiling, enabling special operations units to order drones according to their operational needs. Yakulis notes, “A lot of incentive is put on us, which forces us to innovate and provide a better product from one contract cycle to the next.”
Innovation Spotlight: The Fiber-Optic Hammer
Vector recently made headlines by becoming the first U.S. company to integrate fiber-optic control lines into a U.S.-made FPV drone, offering immunity from electronic jamming. Each Hammer drone carries a 5,000-meter spool of fiber linking it directly to its controller. Yakulis elaborates: “You could have a $50 million jammer trying to stop this drone, and it won’t work. There’s no radio frequency to jam.”
Utah Roots and 47G Involvement
Vector conducts final assembly in Draper, Utah, while research and development operations are centered in Austin, Texas, all maintaining a global footprint for tactical training and field development. The company ensures that all manufacturing is NDAA-compliant, with no foreign supply chain dependencies.
With a workforce of over 100, Yakulis credits Utah’s defense ecosystem—and organizations like 47G—for their pivotal role in supporting startups and connecting innovators across the aerospace and defense sectors. “One of the first things I did when we established headquarters here was reach out to 47G,” he shares. “Their organization brings together founders, investors, and government partners in a way I hadn’t seen in Silicon Valley. Utah’s collaborative ecosystem is exactly what defense innovation needs.”
Yakulis emphasizes that 47G not only offers networking opportunities but also fosters cross-industry collaboration, mentorship, and strategic connections crucial for defense startups tackling high-stakes challenges. “The support here isn’t just about capital; it’s about access to people, expertise, and the right partnerships that accelerate both product development and deployment,” he noted.
Yakulis will participate in a panel at the upcoming Zero Gravity Summit, where he discusses Vector’s “drone-as-a-service” model, lessons from modern battlefields, and strategies to rapidly adopt emerging defense technologies—all while highlighting how Utah’s ecosystem uniquely supports these endeavors.
Following a sold-out debut in 2024, the summit has scaled up for 2025, featuring keynote addresses from Jen Easterly, former head of CISA, and Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Topics will include geostrategic stressors, defense technology, dual-use innovation, air mobility, energy resilience, and the new space economy.
On the morning of November 4, Yakulis will be part of the Zero Gravity Summit panel: “The New Battlespace: Autonomous Solutions & Drone Warfare,” alongside Jon Gruen, CEO of Fortem Technologies, a Lindon, Utah-based provider of airspace security and counter-drone solutions, previously covered by TechBuzz.
Continuing Service, in a New Form
“I see this as a continuation of service,” Yakulis reflects. “Only now, instead of flying missions myself, I’m helping ensure the next generation of soldiers has the best tools available—when they need them.”
Learn more at tfvector.com.
Register for the November 4-5, 2025 Zero Gravity Summit at zerogravitysummit.com.
