February 13, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Pentagon could award just 3 vendors for biggest phase of Drone Dominance Program
The Pentagon anticipates buying 150,000 drones in the final phase of the initiative. The post Pentagon could award just 3 vendors for biggest phase of Drone Dominance Program appeared first on DefenseScoop .
Drone makers are lining up to compete for an ambitious Pentagon program where the total value of delivery orders and the number of systems purchased is expected to increase for each phase. But by the time the final phase comes around next year, as few as three vendors could reap shares of the funding allotted for that round, according to documents viewed by DefenseScoop. The U.S.
military’s “drone dominance” initiative was launched last year by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with the goal of boosting the manufacturing of small unmanned aerial systems, rapidly arming units with attack drones, improving UAS training and cutting red tape. The department plans to spend $1.1 billion on the Drone Dominance Program and buy more than 300,000 platforms. The project has four phases, or “Gauntlets,” which are supposed to be independent of each other.