Pentagon Eyes 30,000 One-Way Attack Drones

Why It Matters

If fielded quickly, the program could change small-unit lethality and tactics while creating urgent training, safety, sustainment and logistical burdens for the Army—risks that could blunt effectiveness if not resolved.

Summary

The Pentagon is preparing to award contracts that could deliver up to 30,000 small one-way attack drones to U.S. Army squads, following Secretary Pete Hexup’s drone-dominance memo. Vendors who participated in a February trial at Fort Benning are in contention, and selected firms would have roughly five months to produce and deliver the systems. The push aims to outfit every squad with these munitions-capable drones by the October target, but services are scrambling to define quantities, logistics footprints and training requirements. Implementation remains uncertain because unit structures and training pipelines are not yet configured to absorb large numbers of lethal expendable UAVs.

Original Description

The Army could award a contract for 30,000 one-way attack drones to outfit every squad.