# Oshkosh and Grid Aero Plan Lifter Production

Oshkosh Defense and Grid Aero announced a manufacturing partnership on November 2, 2026, to prepare Grid Aero’s Lifter autonomous cargo aircraft for production. Grid Aero is expected to begin low-rate production while Oshkosh establishes a pilot line, with production intended to shift to Oshkosh in stages as demand grows. The aircraft is designed to carry about 7,000 pounds, and the effort aligns with DoD interest in affordable Group 4 and 5 unmanned aircraft that can be acquired in volume. The reports cite another six to 12 months of prototype testing, a pilot line in roughly a year, and a target of producing hundreds or thousands of aircraft by the early 2030s; no government award, solicitation, contract value, or firm production schedule has been announced.

- The partnership is an **early industrial-base and production development effort**, not a current government contract opportunity. Companies should distinguish the manufacturers’ plans from a funded DoD requirement or solicitation.
- Manufacturers and suppliers serving defense aviation can evaluate potential opportunities in aircraft production, components, payload integration, and supply-chain support as the production approach develops.
- Procurement teams considering future large-UAS acquisitions can note the stated 7,000-pound payload capacity and modular payload ambitions, while treating production volumes and timelines as company targets rather than committed government demand.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Transportation
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** November 02, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

### Vendors
- Oshkosh Defense (Manufacturing and production-line partner)
- Grid Aero (Aircraft developer and initial low-rate producer)

### Key Quotes
> This partnership represents a new model for defense innovation, bringing Silicon Valley’s transformative technology development together with the Midwest’s unmatched manufacturing capability.
> — Logan Jones, Chief Growth Officer of Oshkosh Defense

> Our objective is to be as modular as we can with the payload integration systems, whether it’s for cargo, ISR, even other purposes.
> — Arthur Dubois, CEO of Grid Aero

### Sources
- [Oshkosh Defense To Manufacture Grid Aero’s Autonomous Cargo Drone In New Partnership - Defense Daily](https://www.defensedaily.com/oshkosh-defense-to-manufacture-grid-aeros-autonomous-cargo-drone-in-new-partnership/business-financial) - Defense Daily
- [Oshkosh partners with startup to build military drones - Defense News](https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/11/02/oshkosh-partners-with-startup-to-build-military-drones) - Defense News
- [Oshkosh steps into large UAS space with new Grid Aero partnership - Breaking Defense](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/11/oshkosh-steps-into-larger-uas-space-with-new-grid-aero-partnership) - Breaking Defense