Comment by cushychicken

it’s a crowded market where politics and connections are worth more than technical expertise

This is 100% true.

Kill mosquitoes first. Then go for defense contracts when you can show you have sensors good enough to hunt and kill bugs.

I guarantee solving the bug use case first will put you head and shoulders above all the clueless UAS/cUAS companies out there these days - and there are TONS of them.