Modular unmanned systems for Department of Defense rapid deployment
Firestorm builds production-ready autonomous aerial systems designed for military operations, with an engineering-dominant org (31 of 48 active roles) ramping low-rate production while actively hiring senior technical talent. The stack spans embedded systems (ARM Cortex-M, C/C++), ground control software (Qt, QGroundControl, MAVLink), and manufacturing tooling (SolidWorks, Altium), with recent adoption of QGroundControl signaling tighter integration with open-source mission planning tools—typical of a company moving from prototype to field-deployable modules.
Notable leadership hires: Security Director
Firestorm designs and manufactures modular unmanned aerial systems for U.S. Department of Defense and special operations customers. Founded in 2022 and based in San Diego, the company operates across embedded development, real-time tactical software, manufacturing commissioning, and supply-chain logistics. Current initiatives include next-generation UAV platforms, low-rate initial production ramp-up, and forward-deployed manufacturing capabilities. The 51–200-person org is staffed primarily by senior and mid-level engineers, reflecting both the technical depth required for defense contracts and the production scaling phase.
Embedded: Python, C/C++, Rust, ARM Cortex-M. Ground control: Qt, QGroundControl, MAVLink. CAD/design: SolidWorks, Altium, MagicDraw. Infrastructure: Linux, Windows, CI/CD, VPN, Ethernet. Adopting QGroundControl for mission planning.
Next-generation UAV systems, low-rate production ramp, ground control station (GCS) software, autonomous aerial platforms, cross-platform Qt applications for real-time tactical operations, and forward-deployable manufacturing labs.
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