WP: Pentagon seeks 300,000 strike drones through new contest

The U.S. Department of Defence has launched "Drone Dominance," an 18-month competition aimed at accelerating the procurement of small strike drones from startups and small businesses, as Washington seeks to address shortages in its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) arsenal.

The initiative reflects growing recognition within the U.S. military of the battlefield effectiveness of low-cost drones, a lesson reinforced by the wars in Ukraine and between Iran and its adversaries. U.S. officials have concluded that the country needs to rapidly expand its drone capabilities to keep pace with evolving warfare trends, The Washington Post writes.

Under the programme, companies will compete for a share of $1.1 billion in defence contracts. The Pentagon hopes the funding will enable the purchase of approximately 300,000 small strike drones, often described as inexpensive flying munitions capable of carrying out precision attacks.

The effort forms part of a broader push by the Trump administration to expand U.S. drone warfare capabilities. The administration's proposed defence budget for next year includes $54.6 billion for a significantly enlarged drone warfare force.

A new round of the Drone Dominance competition is set to begin next week. Among the leading contenders are Skycutter, a British company partnered with an experienced Ukrainian drone manufacturer, and Neros, a U.S. startup founded by 23-year-old former drone racing world champion Soren Monroe-Anderson.

Neros already supplies drones to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. Monroe-Anderson said military officials had signaled strong expectations for his company as the competition gets underway.

The broad range of participants reflects a Pentagon strategy aimed at diversifying defence procurement beyond traditional contractors. Officials increasingly see private-sector innovation as a key source of military technology and are seeking to direct funding toward emerging companies rather than relying solely on established defence firms.

“I’m deeply optimistic about how much entrepreneurial talent is out there,” said Travis Metz, the deputy director of the Defence Innovation Unit, the Pentagon office overseeing the competition.

“The Department of War does not need to fund the R&D for this,” Metz added, using the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Defence Department.

By Sabina Mammadli