For defense, public safety & industry

Seriously capable drones and batteries.

Observation drones and smart battery packs built to NDAA requirements from traceable parts. For teams that fly them and companies that build with them.

Get early access What we build
  • Built to keep flying
  • Traceable supply chain
  • U.S.-based team

Compliance & sourcing

Know where every part comes from.

Federal buyers face real limits on foreign-made drones and components, and DoD restrictions on certain Chinese battery makers take effect in late 2027. We build around those rules from the first part we choose, so compliance is designed in, not bolted on.

Subdued United States flag patch in tan and black
Baton Rouge, LA U.S.A.

  • Built to NDAA requirements

    Every component is chosen to meet NDAA requirements, so your program isn't left holding a part it can't buy.

  • Secure, traceable supply chain

    We track where parts and battery cells come from, so your procurement team can check our work instead of taking our word for it.

  • Pursuing Blue UAS

    We're pursuing a listing for Meerkat on Blue UAS, the Defense Department's list of drones cleared for government use, and will share progress as it moves forward.

  • U.S.-based team

    Integrated and supported by our team in the U.S. You talk to the people who set it up.

The lineup

Meet the crew.

A workhorse and a lookout. They're built to work together, and each one holds its own.

  • Stubborn Mule mascot carrying battery packs

    The workhorse

    Stubborn Mule

    Smart battery packs

    Won't quit. Secure, traceable battery packs that keep going and track their own health. Made for Meerkat, and ready for other aircraft that need reliable, NDAA-compliant power.

    Meet Stubborn Mule
  • Meerkat mascot standing lookout with binoculars

    The lookout

    Meerkat

    Observation drone

    Observe and report. Spots a person at the fence line or a hot spot on a pipeline, day or night, and sends the alert straight to your dispatch or inspection software. NDAA-compliant, built from traceable parts.

    Meet Meerkat

The Odd Bird Meerkat, powered by Stubborn Mule.

Concept render of a Stubborn Mule smart battery pack: a charcoal hard case with a tan label, charge lights and power leads
Stubborn MuleBy Odd Bird Systems

Smart battery packs · In development

Stubborn Mule. Won't quit.

Secure drone battery packs you can trace back to the cell. Every Stubborn Mule pack is built around compliant, documented sourcing, so you know where the cells came from and can hand your procurement team the paperwork. Our software tracks each pack's health, charge cycles and history across your fleet, so you retire packs on data instead of guesswork. And because a smart pack talks to your aircraft, we hold its electronics and firmware to the same standard as the cells, so your power supply never becomes a security gap.

  • Secure supply chain, with cell origin documented for every pack
  • Ready ahead of DoD's late-2027 restrictions on certain Chinese battery makers
  • Pack health, cycle count and history tracking
Talk to us about batteries

Building drones and need a compliant pack? Tell us your voltage, capacity and connector, and we'll tell you where we can help.

Concept render of the Meerkat observation drone: a carbon-fiber quadcopter with a day and thermal camera gimbal, landing skids and a battery pack strapped on top
MeerkatBy Odd Bird Systems

Observation drone · In development

Meerkat. Observe and report.

  • NDAA-compliant
  • Traceable parts
  • Pursuing Blue UAS

Meerkat is built to observe and report — not just record. Onboard AI flags what matters, like a person at the fence line or a hot spot on a pipeline, and routes the report through custom integrations into the systems your team already uses, from dispatch to inspection software.

  1. 01Observe

    Day and thermal camera, with a modular bay for more payloads.

  2. 02Detect

    Onboard AI trained to flag what matters to your mission.

  3. 03Report

    Alerts, clips and flight logs sent to your dispatch, records or inspection software.

Join the Meerkat early-access list

Who it's for

Built for people with a job to do.

  • Defense & federal

    Observation and perimeter security for units and installations.

  • Public safety

    Sheriffs, fire, and hurricane and disaster response, built in hurricane country.

  • Infrastructure & industry

    Thermal inspection for refineries, pipelines, power lines and solar.

Don't see your mission? Tell us what you're trying to do.

Start the conversation
ODD BIRD

About

Why “Odd Bird”?

Because a forgettable name is a bad start. The products are serious. The names are memorable on purpose.

A little odd. Seriously capable.

Contact · Early access

Tell us what you're trying to do.

Early access, a battery conversation, or a problem you haven't seen solved yet. Start here.

  1. Tell us the mission. What you fly, what you look for, where the data needs to end up.
  2. We read it and reply. No autoresponder sales funnel.
  3. We tell you straight. If we can help, we'll say how. If we can't, we'll say that too.

Interested in

We'll only use your details to reply. No mailing lists unless you ask.

Highlighted copy needs sign-off before launch.