Industry · Drone power
Enovix books a 100,000-battery drone order, with cells from South Korea
The buyer is an unnamed multinational provider of dual-use drone systems, with deliveries scheduled for the first half of 2027. The announcement didn't give the order's value.
Enovix announced the purchase order on Tuesday, Oct. 13, for an initial 100,000 battery units. The batteries will use Enovix cells made at the company's military-qualified South Korean facility, which it calls compliant with the Trade Agreements Act (TAA). Enovix expects the customer to place follow-on orders in the second half of 2027 and beyond, after a successful initial deployment.1
Enovix is doubling its in-house drone battery production capacity in South Korea by mid-2027
Deliveries are scheduled in the first half of 2027
a multinational provider of dual-use drone systems
following successful initial deployment
Interim CEO Ryan Benton said the added Korean capacity will enable timely delivery of orders
The order moves one opportunity from the roughly $216 million drone, defense and industrial pipeline reported Oct. 12 into backlog
Enovix's pipeline is its estimate of peak annual production value of identified design opportunities
Source: Enovix releases, Sept. 1, Oct. 12 and Oct. 13, 2026
Enovix also develops silicon-anode batteries for smartphones and smart eyewear, but drone and defense customers accounted for about 70% of its preliminary third-quarter revenue of $11.0 million.1–2 This order moves one opportunity out of its drone, defense and industrial pipeline, which Enovix estimates at about $216 million of peak annual production value, and into backlog.1 It is among the fourth-quarter purchase orders Enovix referenced on Oct. 12, when it announced a leadership team realigned for drone and defense growth.1–2 Interim CEO Ryan Benton said those orders, in the first part of the quarter, "have already exceeded our Q3’26 total revenue."2
"Drone makers need high-performance batteries from a qualified, non-Chinese source now," said Steve Bakos, Enovix's chief revenue officer.1 The company makes its defense cells in-house at a Korean plant it acquired, citing the site's 20-year defense production history, and is investing $19 million to double the plant's capacity.2
Benton said the added Korean capacity "will enable timely delivery" of the fourth-quarter orders.2 Enovix expects to double its Korean drone battery capacity by mid-2027, as this order's first-half deliveries come due.1, 3 In September, Enovix said those Korean-made batteries were "on track" for compliance with programs governed by the National Defense Authorization Act.3
Sources (3)
- Enovix: Enovix Receives 100,000-Battery Drone Order (Oct. 13, 2026) ir.enovix.com
- Enovix: Q3’26 Revenue $11.0 Million Up 38% Year/Year (Oct. 12, 2026) ir.enovix.com
- Enovix: Enovix’s TAA-Compliant Battery Manufacturing Strengthens Position with U.S. Defense Supply Chain (Sept. 1, 2026) ir.enovix.com