As small attack drones become vital in warfare, the U.S. is trying to catch up to other countries
AI Analysis
The U.S. Pentagon is initiating a rapid procurement and development program, "Drone Dominance," to address a significant lag in small attack drone capabilities compared to adversaries like Russia and China. The program aims to field attack drones to every Army squad by October 2026, utilizing streamlined purchasing and competitive manufacturer evaluations. Current production goals are over 300,000 units, though this is dwarfed by Ukraine's annual production of 6 million.
Key Takeaways
- The Pentagon's "Drone Dominance" program has a budget of over $1 billion.
- The program focuses on acquiring "one-way" attack drones (kamikaze drones).
- Purchasing regulations are being loosened to accelerate manufacturing.
- The first drone competition was held in February 2026, resulting in an order of 30,000 drones; further competitions are planned.
- Ukraine currently produces approximately 6 million drones annually, highlighting the scale of the challenge for the U.S.
Why It Matters
The increasing prevalence of small attack drones in modern warfare, particularly demonstrated in Ukraine, necessitates a rapid response from the U.S. military. Failure to close the capability gap could significantly disadvantage U.S. forces in future conflicts, impacting tactical advantages and potentially increasing casualties. The emphasis on rapid fielding and doctrine integration suggests a recognition of the urgent need to adapt to this evolving threat landscape.
As small attack drones become vital in warfare, the U.S. is trying to catch up to other countries Skip to main content
© 2026 KTEP PUBLIC MEDIA
Menu
Your Source for NPR News & Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
- On Air Now Playing KTEP 88.5 FM
All Streams
As small attack drones become vital in warfare, the U.S. is trying to catch up to other countries
American Homefront Project | By Jay Price
Published April 20, 2026 at 8:33 PM MDT
Listen • 3:50
Joaquin Carlos Dela Torre
/
U.S. Marine Corps
A Neros Archer drone flies during the Marine Corps Attack Drone Competition in Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 7, 2025. The Archer is one of the models that the Pentagon is purchasing as it tries to amass a supply of more than 300,000 small attack drones.
For years, the U.S. military has been fielding small drones equipped with cameras that let troops see, for instance, over nearby hills or inside treelines. Now, though, the U.S. is trying to catch up to geopolitical adversaries such as Russia and China, which are using drones as weapons.
The Pentagon has begun a huge push to buy hundreds of thousands of so-called "one-way" attack drones, which can fly to a target and explode. The unmanned devices are the dominant weapon in the Ukraine war, where drones are responsible for about three-quarters of the casualties.
"Both the American commercial drone industry and the Pentagon are years behind the curve in producing and employing drones," said Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, at a recent hearing. "Catching up is as necessary as it is difficult, but I believe we're finally on the cusp of charting a future for American drone dominance."
Indeed, "Drone Dominance" is the name of the Pentagon's new billion-dollar program to jump-start mass production of small attack drones. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last summer vowed that such drones will be fielded to every Army squad by October of this year.
Squads are the smallest tactical unit and usually have six to 10 soldiers.
Hegseth has loosened purchasing regulations with the goal of speeding large-scale manufacturing. And the Drone Dominance program is staging competitions among manufacturers in which troops evaluate them. It held the first of four competitions in February and has ordered 30,000 of the drones selected there. The next competition is scheduled for August, and others will be spread over another year or so.
The Pentagon's goal is to select enough manufacturers to buy another 300,000 next year.
That still isn't a lot by the standards of the Ukraine war, said Kateryna Bondar, who researches drone warfare at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Ukrainians produce 6 million drones per year," she said. "Of course, that is a country in a state of war. But what the United States needs drones for right now, and really urgently, is for training, integrating them into tactics and doctrine,