The drone industry is entering a new era—one defined by longer flight times, smarter onboard computing, and military-grade compliance. On October 2, 2025, Lantronix Inc. announced a breakthrough partnership with Gremsy and Teledyne FLIR OEM that brings all of these qualities together into a single, ready-to-deploy drone platform.

Lantronix, a California-based leader in IoT compute and connectivity solutions, revealed that its Edge AI drone technology has been selected by Gremsy, a global manufacturer of camera gimbals for drones and UAVs. The platform also integrates Teledyne FLIR’s Hadron 640R dual thermal-visible camera, creating a powerful imaging and intelligence solution.

At the core of this innovation is Lantronix’s Open-Q™ 5165RB System on Module, powered by the Qualcomm® Dragonwing™ processor. By combining high-performance edge AI with ultra-low power consumption, the solution enables longer missions and faster insights—two key advantages in both defense and commercial drone operations.

Why It Matters for the Drone Industry

Drones are increasingly deployed in high-stakes environments: defense reconnaissance, energy infrastructure inspection, agricultural surveying, and search-and-rescue operations. In each of these cases, efficiency and intelligence are non-negotiable.

Lantronix’s new system addresses two long-standing industry pain points. First, it extends drone flight times by reducing power draw without compromising processing speed. Second, it brings real-time AI processing to the edge, enabling tasks like object detection, anomaly recognition, and mapping directly on the drone—without relying solely on remote cloud servers.

This translates to faster decisions in the field, whether spotting a hidden threat in a combat zone or detecting a fault in a power line hundreds of feet above the ground.

A Strategic Collaboration

The partnership brings together three leaders with complementary strengths:

• Lantronix: trusted for NDAA/TAA-compliant compute and connectivity solutions.
• Gremsy: known for precision camera gimbals and drone integration expertise.
• Teledyne FLIR OEM: the go-to provider for thermal and visible camera modules.

Gremsy’s Lynx ISR payload, integrated with Teledyne FLIR’s Hadron 640R, is powered by Lantronix’s edge AI module. For integrators, this means faster time-to-market with a compliant, field-ready solution.

Nguyen Van Chu, vice general director at Gremsy, highlighted why his company chose Lantronix over other providers: “With its Qualcomm Dragonwing-based solutions, Lantronix delivers industry firsts, including a direct connection with the FLIR Hadron 640R, enabling the Lynx payload with Edge-based capabilities in real time.”

Built for Scale and Compliance

For Lantronix, this isn’t just about powering a single product line. It’s about establishing itself as the go-to compute provider for secure, AI-enabled drones at scale. CEO Saleel Awsare emphasized that the company’s ability to meet NDAA and TAA requirements gives it a regulatory edge in defense and federal contracts—markets that demand trusted, U.S.-compliant technology.

Already, production shipments are underway with multiple customers, generating early revenue and validating demand. With the global drone market projected to hit $57.8 billion by 2030, the opportunity is significant, particularly in high-margin, mission-critical sectors such as defense, energy, and infrastructure.

What the Solution Delivers

The new platform enables:

• Extended flight times through power-efficient compute.
• Real-time AI analytics for detection, mapping, and decision-making.
• Robust connectivity, including Wi-Fi 6 and multiple I/O options for HD video streaming.
• Rugged operation across extreme temperatures (–25°C to +85°C).

For integrators and end users, this means drones that can fly longer, think faster, and work harder in the toughest environments.

Positioning for the Future

Lantronix’s strategy goes beyond drones. Its edge AI platform, supported by a robust software ecosystem (ROS2, Docker, and more), is designed to scale across robotics, smart infrastructure, and industrial IoT. By blending embedded compute technology with compliance expertise, Lantronix is positioning itself for recurring revenue streams in both hardware and software services.

Mike Walters, VP of Product Management at Teledyne FLIR OEM, underscored the importance of this ecosystem approach: “The integration of our Hadron thermal-visible camera module and Prism software into Lantronix’s solution brings advanced image signal processing and AI capabilities to edge devices.”

The takeaway: This collaboration doesn’t just solve today’s drone challenges. It lays the foundation for tomorrow’s autonomous systems, from defense to agriculture.

Conclusion

In a sector projected to nearly double in the next five years, partnerships like the one between Lantronix, Gremsy, and Teledyne FLIR set the pace for innovation. By combining power efficiency, edge AI, and regulatory compliance, the trio is delivering drones that fly longer, process faster, and meet the stringent demands of modern missions.

For Lantronix, it’s a milestone that validates its strategy of marrying engineering expertise with market growth potential—a path that could secure its role as a cornerstone in the $57.8 billion drone economy of 2030.

‍