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Global Ordnance Holdings and Sparkz Establish First Fully Domestic-Sourced and Manufactured Drone Battery Production

This partnership targets a critical U.S. defense supply chain need for drone technologies, with domestic battery manufacturing starting early 2027

SARASOTA, Fla. – (Oct. 20, 2026) – Global Ordnance Holdings, a U.S.-owned defense company delivering integrated munition systems, ordnance, energetics, UAS and counter UAS solutions to the United States and its allies, signed a Master Supply Agreement with Sparkz Inc. initially targeting 210,000 battery packs beginning  early 2027 , partnering to strengthen the U.S. defense supply chain for high energy density batteries for drones. The agreement establishes the first fully domestic manufacturing for high-performance drone batteries as the U.S. Department of War directs more attention and funding to domestic drone technologies.

 

Signed during AUSA 2026, the agreement meets the need for a reliable supply of American-made batteries as the Pentagon expands its use of unmanned systems. The batteries will come from a fully U.S. supply chain, including all base materials and assembly, with 100% U.S. content. The companies will deliver NDAA-compliant batteries for U.S. defense applications, with batteries expected to be available in early 2027 and full manufacturing capacity expected to start in Q2 2027. Domestic demand for batteries is expected to rapidly grow as 2027 forecasts for the DOW will reach approximately one million drones with forecasted demand for 2028 and beyond expected to continue to grow rapidly.

 

Sparkz will manufacture and supply batteries, while Global Ordnance will lead sales and distribution through its defense market relationships and distribution network. The high-energy-density batteries will be configurable to meet the power output and operational requirements of different unmanned systems.

 

“Putting more drones into service requires a dependable supply of the components that keep them flying,” said Jeffrey Brunozzi, president of Global Ordnance Holdings. “Batteries are central to that equation, and high energy density power supplies are critical for the missions they serve. This partnering agreement brings Sparkz U.S. battery manufacturing together with our understanding of defense customers’ operational requirements to build a fully domestic source they can plan around.”

 

The agreement comes as the Pentagon places greater emphasis on the origins of drone components and the industrial capacity needed to supply them. Its Drone Dominance Program supply chain framework calls for progressively tighter sourcing requirements, with the ultimate goal of a wholly domestic small-drone supply chain.

 

For military customers and unmanned systems manufacturers, the challenge extends beyond obtaining a finished aircraft. Sustaining deployment requires access to critical components that meet performance requirements and can be supplied reliably as operational needs change.

 

“Domestic battery production has to deliver the performance customers need for their specific systems,” said Sanjiv Malhotra, CEO of Sparkz. “By combining our technology and manufacturing capabilities with Global Ordnance’s defense market reach, we intend to give U.S. drone manufacturers and defense customers an American-made battery option tailored to their applications.”

 

The initiative supports Global Ordnance Holdings’ broader work in autonomy, unmanned systems, and mission-tailored defense solutions, connecting advanced technologies with the equipment and supply capabilities required to support operational readiness.

 

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About Global Ordnance Holdings

Global Ordnance Holdings is a U.S.-owned defense company founded in 2013. Its businesses include Global Military Products (defense programs and international sales), Global Ordnance, LLC (commercial sales), Global Ordnance Trading, and Mountain Horse Solutions (unmanned and counter-unmanned systems), with international entities in the United Kingdom and Europe. The company supplies ammunition, energetics, and unmanned systems to the U.S. government and allied nations. Learn more at global-ordnance.com.

 

About Sparkz, Inc.

The only company succeeding in establishing the LFP battery ecosystem in the US. We are making high performance material from scratch, made from abundant American materials, such as lithium, iron, phosphate, cells and the complete battery systems.

 

 

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PRESS CONTACTS:

Michelle Bandur,

Sparkz VP, Marketing and Communications

279-208-4672

michelle@sparkz.energy

 

Abby Rodriguez

Sparkz VP, Corporate Development

202-743-3831

abby@sparkz.energy

 

Margit DeMarco

Global Ordnance, Director of Marketing

941-431-7505

Margit.DeMarco@globalordnance.com

Founder & CEO

Dr. Sanjiv Malhotra

Dr. Sanjiv Malhotra is the founder and CEO of Sparkz—the battery start-up reinventing the energy supply chain.

 

Malhotra has been a leader in the energy sector for nearly three decades as a founder, investor and executive. Most recently, he served as the inaugural director for the Energy Investor Center at the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), serving under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

 

At DOE, Malhotra led the Obama Administration’s initiative to boost public-private partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of technologies developed in national research centers like Oak Ridge National Labs.

 

Malhotra was recruited to the Department of Energy after a successful exit of Oorja Protonics—the world leader in methanol fuel cells—which he founded and led as CEO for 10 years. Oorja raised $50 Million in equity financing from leading VCs such as Sequoia, DAG Ventures, Artis Capital and others during his tenure. He boosted Oorja’s revenue and profitability growth, while expanding operations globally in Japan, China, South Africa, Mexico, and India.

 

Oorja was acquired in 2014 by the Private Equity firm MinXing Growth Fund.

 

As an investor and consultant, Malhotra has worked at leading venture capital firms, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers as an advisor on clean energy and advanced materials.

 

Earlier in his career, Malhotra led the engineering and product development team at H Power, a pioneer in hydrogen fuel cells. As part of the management team, he managed the successful IPO, which raised more than $100 million in August 2000.

 

He began his career as a post-doctoral fellow at the renowned Lawrence Berkeley National Labs on electrochemical storage systems. Dr. Malhotra has authored seven patents and more than 40 publications in various fields of energy storage technology and materials. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering and an M.B.A from University of Iowa.