In a move set to redefine warfare, the U.S. Army plans to acquire one million drones over the next two to three years. This unprecedented program responds directly to lessons from the Ukraine war, where drones accounted for 70-80% of battlefield casualties. Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll announced the initiative at Picatinny Arsenal in November 2025, emphasizing the urgency of adapting to new combat realities.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had already laid the groundwork in July 2025 with a directive titled “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance,” calling drones “the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year’s casualties in Ukraine.” The directive aims to cut through decades of procurement red tape. Here’s what’s happening next…
Ukraine War Drives Drone Surge
The U.S. Army’s push for mass drone production is rooted in three years of combat in Ukraine, where drones have changed how battles are fought. According to the Modern War Institute at West Point, drones now account for roughly 70-80% of Russian casualties. Inexpensive FPV drones—costing between $400 and $2,000—can destroy high-value assets like $8-10 million tanks. In some combat zones, drones were responsible for up to 90% of vehicle losses.
Secretary Hegseth explained in his July directive: “While global military drone production skyrocketed over the last three years, the previous administration deployed red tape. US units are not outfitted with the lethal small drones the modern battlefield requires.” Annual U.S. drone output of 50,000 units lags far behind Ukraine’s 4.5 million, Russia’s 4 million, and China’s more than 8 million units.
Leadership and Strategic Partnerships
Army Secretary Driscoll is leading the domestic drone initiative under Hegseth’s directive, with strong bipartisan support in Congress. Senators Cruz, Cornyn, Cotton, and Boozman, along with Representative Pat Harrigan, champion the SkyFoundry Act. This legislation establishes a 15,375-acre production hub at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas, which already contributes $1.6 billion annually to the local economy.
Operational integration is underway. Units like the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany and the 75th Ranger Regiment are testing FPV drones in exercises to inform doctrine. Private companies, including Neros Technologies and Kraken Kinetics, supply advanced drones and modular payloads, accelerating production while linking commercial innovation to military needs. The SkyFoundry program represents a major public-private partnership to secure both capacity and supply chains.
Strategy: Mass Deployment and Consumable Drones
The Army is shifting toward “consumable” drones designed for mass deployment and rapid replacement. Lessons from Ukraine show battlefield advantage comes from overwhelming swarms, not high-cost individual units. Hegseth’s directive reframes small drones as “consumable commodities, not durable property,” streamlining acquisition and deployment.
Driscoll noted in November 2025: “We will know that in a moment of conflict, we could activate to manufacture however many drones we would need.” Current U.S. production of 50,000 units per year is insufficient compared to adversaries producing millions annually. By scaling domestically, the Army aims to replicate Ukraine’s success with rapid, front-line driven fielding of low-cost drones.
Technology and Production Targets
The program centers on Neros Archer drones and Archer Strike variants, optimized for diverse tactical missions. The Archer Strike integrates anti-armor and anti-personnel payloads via Kraken Kinetics’ Terminus system. A Flatbow control system enhances electronic resilience. These systems are affordable, scalable, and squad-level deployable.
General James Mingus, Army Materiel Command commander, set a target of 10,000 drones per month by 2026, reaching one million annually by 2028 under SkyFoundry. Manufacturing is spread across Red River, Letterkenny, and Corpus Christi Army Depots, plus Neros Technologies’ Los Angeles facility. This distributed model ensures supply chain resilience, drawing on lessons from both Ukraine and Cold War-era U.S. procurement.
Closing the Global Production Gap
The initiative addresses strategic vulnerabilities highlighted by the Ukraine conflict. While Ukrainian forces mobilize thousands of low-cost drones daily, the U.S. annual output remains low. China dominates rare-earth production, controlling 70% of mining and nearly 90% of processing, increasing the need for domestic manufacturing.
Hegseth emphasized: “Lethality will not be hindered by self-imposed restrictions, especially when it comes to harnessing technologies we invented but were slow to pursue.” Policy reforms now allow field commanders to procure drones directly. By 2026, every squad is expected to have FPV drones, reshaping tactics, training, and combat readiness. The Red River expansion will also stimulate regional employment, demonstrating that innovation and industrial strategy go hand in hand.
A New Era of Drone Warfare
The U.S. Army’s million-drone initiative is a clear response to the strategic realities of modern conflict. The Ukraine war has shown that drone dominance can determine success on the battlefield. By combining mass production, tactical innovation, and public-private partnerships, the Army aims to maintain technological and operational superiority.
Meeting ambitious production goals and sustaining bipartisan and industry support will be critical. The program also strengthens domestic supply chains and workforce development, turning lessons from overseas conflict into lasting American capability. For military planners and industry alike, this is a pivotal moment: the era of inexpensive, mass-produced drones as central weapons of war has arrived.