Pentagon Initiates $1B Program for Swift Purchase of Hundreds of Thousands of Kamikaze Drones

The Pentagon has unveiled a $1 billion plan to acquire hundreds of thousands of single-use attack drones for the military over the next two years. Named the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), the initiative follows a July directive from War Secretary Pete Hegseth to revamp how the department purchases and deploys drones.

While the U.S. military has historically been slow to integrate low-cost drones, lessons from conflicts such as Ukraine have accelerated efforts. The DDP aims to change this pace, though its targets remain modest compared to the millions of drones used by Ukraine and Russia.

Under the plan, the Department of War anticipates ordering 30,000 drones by July 2026 and expects to exceed 200,000 drones by 2027, all designed for high-intensity battlefield environments. The program envisions purchasing a total of over 300,000 drones by early 2028.

Funding from the so-called Big Beautiful Bill will support the production of approximately 340,000 small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs) over two years. According to a recently published Request for Information (RFI), the program seeks to organize industry around producing low-cost, supply-chain secure drones at scale, using fixed-price orders across four phases.

Each phase will start with a Gauntlet challenge event and conclude with delivery of production-quality drones. Military operators will evaluate vendor systems based on their performance in mission scenarios. Prices per unit are expected to decrease from $5,000 to around $2,300 as production scales, while the number of participating vendors will be reduced to five by the final phase in early 2028.

While specific drone types are not detailed in the RFI, the expected costs suggest a focus on small quadcopters and first-person view (FPV) drones, similar to those seen on the Ukrainian battlefield. Hegseths July memo also classified certain small drones as consumables, comparable to ammunition, allowing lower-level commanders to directly procure and deploy them.

The first DDP competition is scheduled for February 16, 2026, with 25 invited vendors. Selection will be based on responses to a Request for Solutions (RFS) to be released on December 17, 2025, with notifications sent by January 26, 2026. Competitions will test capabilities such as 10 km strikes in open terrain and 1 km urban missions, using dummy payloads of at least 2 kg. Subsequent phases will increase operational complexity, including counter-UAS challenges.

Unlike prior programs, results will be publicly posted on a leaderboard. Up to 12 vendors may receive fixed-price orders of at least 1,000 drones after the first phase. Payments will only be made for delivered, inspected, and accepted units, with no cost reimbursement or progress payments. Vendors not selected in one phase are encouraged to participate in subsequent rounds.

The DDP represents a significant step toward modernizing the U.S. military's drone capabilities and industrial base. By emphasizing scalable procurement and operational testing, the Pentagon aims to enhance combat readiness and develop expertise in mass drone deployment.

Author: Sophia Brooks