Pentagon Launches $1B Program to Buy Hundreds Of Thousands Of Kamikaze Drones
8 days ago
- #Military Drones
- #Pentagon Procurement
- #Defense Technology
- The Pentagon launches the $1 billion Drone Dominance Program (DDP) to procure hundreds of thousands of one-way attack drones over the next two years.
- The program aims to purchase over 300,000 drones by early 2028, with initial orders of 30,000 drones to be delivered by July 2026.
- Drones will be treated as 'consumables' akin to ammunition, allowing lower-level commanders to procure and operate them directly.
- The procurement process involves four phases, starting with a Gauntlet challenge event, with the goal of reducing the cost per unit from $5,000 to $2,300.
- The competition will be judged based on mission achievements, including a 10 km strike in open territory and a 1 km strike in urban terrain.
- Vendors will bear development and manufacturing risks, with payments made only upon delivery and acceptance of drones.
- The program encourages continuous vendor participation across phases without elimination, aiming to build a robust industrial base for mass drone procurement.