Paladin Drones

Paladin Drones is a public safety technology company that has developed a Drone-as-First-Responder (DFR) platform that autonomously deploys drones to emergency incidents, delivering real-time aerial intelligence before first responders arrive on scene. The platform achieves an average aerial response time of 47 seconds, arrives on scene before ground units in 72% of incidents, and resolves 11% of daily 911 calls without officer dispatch. Paladin's product suite includes Knighthawk 2.0, a drone dock system; Paladin EXT, an extended range solution; and Watchtower, a drone fleet management platform that supports autonomous deployment and seamless switching between cellular and radio frequency communication modes. With LTE-enabled drones, Paladin achieves unlimited range of 3-5 miles on a single charge compared to 0.5 miles maximum with radio frequency, and through a partnership with T-Mobile, drones can operate even further. The platform integrates with dispatch workflows for immediate situational awareness, providing live aerial and thermal views that help responders understand situations before arrival. Paladin has conducted over 200,000 flights across active deployments, serving departments ranging from 35 to 150 officers. The platform is designed as plug-and-play infrastructure that any department can use regardless of city size, enabling quick deployment without complex aviation programs. Customers include Ferguson PD in Missouri, Forest Park PD in Georgia with near citywide coverage, Murrells Inlet FD in South Carolina for fire and EMS operations, and Elizabeth PD in New Jersey which scaled from a single drone to a fully staffed 24/7 operation achieving 13+ weekly arrests through DFR deployments. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Mountain View, United States, Paladin Drones has raised $21.4M in Series B funding from investors including Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, Free Ventures, Forward Deployed VC, ACOF, and Correlation Ventures.