Defense Wants To Dominate Drones But Faces A Thin Industrial Base

Published: March 30, 2026

USAFARMYDEFENSEDefense & AerospaceDefense & AerospaceElectric & Electronic Components & PartsUSMCNAVYUnmanned Systems

DoW puts small unmanned aerial systems through the ringer.

Defense officials lauded the results of their first testing gauntlet of drone prototypes before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 5, 2026. However, senators questioned the U.S. industrial base's ability to manufacture reliable drones at the needed pace and scale.

The War Department’s Drone Dominance Program (DDP) Phase I took place in February 2026 at Fort Benning, GA, at which servicemembers tested vendors’ small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) in combat-like situations.

DDP intends to award $1.1 billion in prototype orders over four independent phases in the next two years. The result will lead to prototype Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs). At the end of the Phase I Gauntlet, the Department of War will offer up to 12 vendors a Phase I prototype delivery award. The delivery will be between 1,400 and 2,500 drones.

The War Department issued a Solicitation for this effort in January 2026. Deltek has been tracking it under GovWin Federal Tracked Opp 260005: DRONE DOMINANCE PROGRAM.

Surviving Boot Camp

Having set up replicable missions, more than 100 members of the Army, Marines, and various units of U.S. South Command put the sUASs into action. At the event, vendors had two hours to train the military operators on the system, and then the operators took off to the combat tests.

We've Got A problem, So Solve It

  • This program represents a fundamental shift in acquisition strategy. Rather than purchasing systems based on paper requirements, the Department of War intends to buy demonstrated capabilities through live competition. The Gauntlet events are designed to test capabilities. The awards are intended to test production scale and operational use. (Source: DoW)

The Phase II Gauntlet begins in August 2026. It and future gauntlets are focused on munitions readiness. Officials expect drones to have features that reduce the cognitive load of the soldiers operating the sUAS, such as transitioning to a more than one-to-one relationship between drone and operators. Soon, counter-UAS efforts will force even greater sUAS sophistication. The Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) 401 will bring its counter-weapons. Check out GovWin Federal Tracked Opp 262402: JOINT INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE 401 COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS OPENING CSO (JIATF)

Along with surviving strikes, sUASs must manage denied communications and navigational data, as well as face physical demands, like altitude and temperature. Phases III and IV Gauntlets may include explosive components.

A Weak Supply Chain

The objective of the DDP is solid, but the program faces issues just beyond the mission field.

The U.S. industry base and its manufacturing capabilities are just non-existent on this scale, several senators said. Instead, so many components of drones are bought from other countries, particularly from China.

“It’s one of the most glaring deficits in our domestic market,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) told the Defense panel.

However, the War Department’s Office of Strategic Capital and Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program (IBAS) are ready to support small businesses to move the industrial base ahead, said Owen West, senior advisor for the Drone Dominance Program.

IBAS is a program focused on securing the defense supply chain and identifying manufacturing gaps.

Ukrainian Drones

Shaheen and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said they visited drone-manufacturers and developers in Ukraine. They were astonished by the companies’ constant and quick modifications to the drones.

“I wonder if the scope of our effort [at DDP] matches the challenge that this nation faces,” Blumenthal said.

Defense officials said they will review drones for modifications every six months. The senators said that six months is too slow.

“Ukraine is outpacing the U.S. military in production and modification in real-time warfare,” Blumenthal said.

West said their intent is to become as fast and fluid in advancing drones.

“We want to get to that rate of change—ultimately by the second or third competition—so that by 2027 we have operational, lethal drones that are capable of dominating on any battlefield,” West said.

The Defense officials and the senators both said that today, the best drones in the world, in terms of battlefield use and manufacturing scalability, are in the Ukraine. Officials said they are encouraging the most fiscally capable Ukrainian companies to bring manufacturing to the United States.

Through DDP, officials want tested, low-cost sUASs. They are relying on industry to innovate throughout the DDP gauntlets as the battlefield missions get tougher. At the same time, their intent is on reducing unit costs and scale production.

“The goal of the Drone Dominance Program fundamentally is to build a U.S. industry around small drones,” said Travis Metz, the DDP Manager.

Senators still were not convinced.

“I have to question whether our country is sufficiently committed,” Blumenthal said. “The magnitude of this effort has to be on the scale and scope of what we did with nuclear arms when we were behind.”

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