Company:Orqa

From HandWiki
Orqa d.o.o
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded2018; 8 years ago (2018)
Founders
  • Ivan Jelušić
  • Srđan Kovačević
  • Vlatko Matijević
Headquarters
Osijek
,
Croatia
Area served
Global
Key people
  • Srđan Kovačević (CEO)
ProductsUnmanned aerial vehicles First-person view goggles and electronics
RevenueIncrease €24.16 million (2025)[1]
Number of employees
Neutral increase 127 (2025)[1]
Websiteorqafpv.com

Orqa is a Croatian manufacturer of drone systems and first-person view (FPV) technical equipment headquartered in Osijek, Croatia. Since the 2020s, firm became a significant defense contractor in Croatia, and it has expanded production, manufacturing, and collaboration with other manufacturers throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.

History

Orqa was founded by the trio Srđan Kovačević, Ivan Jelušić and Vlatko Matijević in late 2018.[2][3] The company's initial product were the FPV.One goggles, released to the consumer market, intended for piloting drones, and marketed as having better specifications than its competitors.[4] Around the same time, it also began producing drones for racing purposes.[5]

An Orqa drone in flight, 2025

In 2023, Orqa acquired ImmersionRC, a Swiss producer of FPV electronics.[6] During May of the same year, the company was involved in an incident, where its FPV goggles were bricked as a result of a third-party software issue, claimed as a result of either an unpaid license, or ransomware.[7]

In 2024, it received a $5.8 million investment from Lightspeed Venture Partners.[8] It entered into a partnership with Baykar, where the companies plan to integrate Orqa's FPV drones to be carried by Baykar Bayraktar TB2 UAV.[9] It also partnered with DOK-ING in developing manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) technologies for dual-use applications.[10]

In 2025, it was reported that it was a supplier of drones for the United States Department of Defense, however the purchases from the company were halted after it was discovered that one radio module contained within the drones had been manufactured in China. The CEO stated that the manufacturing of the module had been moved in-house in the meantime.[11] The Croatian Army ordered FPV MRM-2 Interceptor drones for €10 million. The drones were also purchased to be used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[12]

Orqa goggles and controller in use

During the same year, it has expanded its production capacity to 280,000 drones annually at its main production facility in Osijek[13], and subsequently launched a Global Manufacturing Partnership Program, where it aims to reach a million drones annually in cooperation with its partners around the globe.[14] For this purpose, in 2026, it signed cooperation agreements with companies in Qatar[15], Ukraine[16] , US[17][18] and Canada.[19]

Together with By Light Professional IT Services, it launched a US-based spinoff company, Orqa US, which oversees a localized production of Orqa's drones in the US. A 17,000 square metre production facility was set up for this purpose in Port Orange, Florida.[20]

In June of 2026, it unveiled MRM2-10AI, a hybrid drone operated both through fiber optic cables and radio control (Orqa’s proprietary “IRONghost” system). The drone will also feature onboard AI processing and image-based navigation which will switch between the two control methods depending on disruption and other circumstances on the battlefield.[21]

See also

  • Defence industry of Croatia

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "ORQA d.o.o.". https://infobiz.fina.hr/tvrtka/orqa-d-o-o/OIB-98232144692. 
  2. ↑ Barišić, Ivana. "Osječki trio stoji iza poznatih naočala za pilote dronova, a ove godine imaju ambiciozan plan. Evo što su nam otkrili iz Orqe". https://www.tportal.hr/tehno/clanak/osjecki-trio-stoji-iza-poznatih-naocala-za-pilote-dronova-a-ove-godine-imaju-ambiciozan-plan-evo-sto-su-nam-otkrili-iz-orqe-foto-20230107. 
  3. ↑ Gayte, Aurore, Orqa, Croatia’s drone champion: the secrets of a strategic start-up for Europe, L'Express, https://www.lexpress.eu/economy/orqa-croatias-drone-champion-the-secrets-of-a-start-up-that-is-strategic-for-europe-06-24-2026-EQ4U2ZVKUZF6ZMPWDV2JHL4BTM/ 
  4. ↑ Petric, Dragan. "Orqa: "Napravljene da budu najbolje, naše gogle kreću u osvajanje Amerike"". Bug (magazine). https://www.bug.hr/intervju/orqa-napravljene-da-budu-najbolje-nase-gogle-krecu-u-osvajanje-amerike-7404. 
  5. ↑ Clawson, Trevor. "As European Defense Investment Rises What Role Can Startups Play?". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorclawson/2025/10/16/as-european-defense-investment-rises-what-role-can-startups-play/. 
  6. ↑ "Swiss ImmersionRC and Croatia’s Orqa Merge to Create EU-Based Drone Powerhouse". Total Croatia News. https://total-croatia-news.com/news/business/orqa-immersionrc/. 
  7. ↑ Lyons, Jessica. "Orqa drone goggles bricked: Time-bomb ransomware or unpaid firmware license". The Register. https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/03/orqa_goggles_borked/. 
  8. ↑ Bergen, Mark. "Lightspeed Backs Croatian Startup Building China-Free Drones". Bloomberg News. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-12-18/lightspeed-backs-croatian-startup-building-china-free-drones. 
  9. ↑ "Bayraktar TB2 UAV to Carry FPV Drones Made by Croatian Firm, ORQA". Defense Mirror. https://defensemirror.com/news/38035/Bayraktar_TB2_UAV_to_Carry_FPV_Drones_Made_by_Croatian_Firm__ORQA. 
  10. ↑ "INTERVIEW - Croatia’s Orqa more than doubles drone output capacity, open for JVs". SeeNews. https://seenews.com/news/interview-croatias-orqa-more-than-doubles-drone-output-capacity-open-for-jvs-1287336. 
  11. ↑ Jeans, David. "Silicon Valley’s Military Drone Companies Have A Serious ‘Made In China’ Problem". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidjeans/2025/04/16/silicon-valley-drones-china-problem/. 
  12. ↑ Simmonds, Lauren. "How Osijek Company Orqa Became Croatian Military Asset". https://total-croatia-news.com/news/osijek-orqa-croatian-military/. 
  13. ↑ Chomsky, Martin. "Croatian company Orqa boosts annual FPV drone output to 280,000 units as it removes reliance on Chinese technology". Defence Industry Europe. https://defence-industry.eu/croatian-company-orqa-boosts-annual-fpv-drone-output-to-280000-units-as-it-removes-reliance-on-chinese-technology/. 
  14. ↑ "Croatia's Orqa Aims For 1M Annual FPV Drones Without Chinese Parts: Ukraine Faces Competition". Defence Express. https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_and_tech/croatias_orqa_aims_for_1m_annual_fpv_drones_without_chinese_parts_ukraine_faces_competition-16949.html. 
  15. ↑ Jodesz, Gavilan. "Croatia’s Orqa Signs Drone Production Cooperation Deal With Qatar’s Barzan". https://thedefensepost.com/2026/01/21/croatia-orqa-qatar-barzan-drone/. 
  16. ↑ Levitska, Iryna. "General Cherry and ORQA to build UAV components plant in Ukraine". https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/04/07/8029141/. 
  17. ↑ Graves, Brad. "Firestorm, Orqa Partner To Create Small Drone". https://www.sdbj.com/defense/firestorm-orqa-partner-to-create-small-drone/. 
  18. ↑ Bernacchi, Giulia. "Croatia’s Orqa Teams With Red River Depot to Boost US Army Drone Production". https://thedefensepost.com/2026/03/17/orqa-us-army-drone-production/. 
  19. ↑ Suarez, Rafael. "Orqa Signs $150M CAD Canadian Drone Production Deal". https://dronexl.co/2026/07/01/orqa-150m-canadian-drone-production/. 
  20. ↑ Simmonds, Lauren. "Croatia’s Orqa to Produce Drones in the USA". https://total-croatia-news.com/news/orqa-usa/. 
  21. ↑ Biggs, John. "Orqa unveils hybrid tactical drone for jammed battlefields". https://resiliencemedia.co/orqa-unveils-hybrid-tactical-drone-for-jammed-battlefields/. 



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