US War Department Drone Dominance program targets about 340,000 small drones over two years for combat units
US combat units are on track to get cheap attack drones as standard-issue kit. The War Department's roughly $1 billion Drone Dominance program aims to build about 340,000 small drones over two years. Its first phase: 12 vendors, 30,000 drones at $5,000 each, later phases push tow
US combat units are on track to receive cheap attack drones as standard-issue equipment. The War Department's Drone Dominance program plans to spend about $1 billion to build roughly 340,000 small unmanned aircraft for frontline units over two years. The effort is structured in four phases the department calls gauntlets. The first, running from February through July, tasks 12 vendors with producing 30,000 drones at $5,000 per unit, about $150 million in total. Across the remaining phases the vendor pool narrows from 12 to five, the number of drones ordered rises from 30,000 to 150,000, and the price per drone falls from $5,000 toward $2,300. Buying hundreds of thousands of aircraft at a few thousand dollars each places small drones on the same footing as consumable munitions rather than durable, reusable equipment. The approach follows lessons from recent conflicts, where inexpensive drones have reshaped how frontline units fight. Source: US War Department.