[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":339},["ShallowReactive",2],{"en-post-pentagon-starts-at-zero-cheap-drones-russia-7-million-2026":3,"en-related-pentagon-starts-at-zero-cheap-drones-russia-7-million-2026":303},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":283,"date":284,"description":285,"draft":286,"extension":287,"image":288,"meta":289,"navigation":290,"path":291,"seo":292,"slug":293,"stem":294,"tags":295,"translation_slug":276,"updated":301,"__hash__":302},"en_posts\u002Fen\u002Fposts\u002Fpentagon-starts-at-zero-cheap-drones-russia-7-million-2026.md","Pentagon: US Starts at 'Basically Zero' on Cheap Drones","Lucas Buzzo",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":275},"minimark",[10,22,31,34,39,42,109,111,115,118,126,129,145,147,151,154,187,194,197,199,203,206,209,244,247,249,253,255],[11,12,13,14,21],"p",{},"The United States is \"starting from basically zero\" on mass-producing cheap military drones, according to Travis Metz, acting head of the Defense Innovation Unit, quoted in a ",[15,16,20],"a",{"href":17,"rel":18},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bloomberg.com\u002Fnews\u002Ffeatures\u002F2026-10-31\u002Fus-starts-at-basically-zero-in-building-cheap-military-drones",[19],"nofollow","Bloomberg investigation"," published October 31, 2026. Ukrainian intelligence expects Russia to build 7.3 million small expendable drones this year, while the Pentagon targets about 250,000 by the end of 2027.",[11,23,24,25,30],{},"The gap shows how far the Drone Dominance Program, a roughly $1.1 billion effort launched in July 2025, still has to go. Early deliveries have also slipped, as ",[15,26,29],{"href":27,"rel":28},"https:\u002F\u002Fdronexl.co\u002F2026\u002F10\u002F31\u002Fpentagon-basically-zero-cheap-drones-russia-7-million\u002F",[19],"DroneXL reported",".",[32,33],"hr",{},[35,36,38],"h2",{"id":37},"how-big-is-the-gap-between-the-us-russia-china-and-ukraine","How Big Is the Gap Between the US, Russia, China and Ukraine?",[11,40,41],{},"The Pentagon aims to field about 250,000 small drones by the end of 2027, while Russia is expected to build 7.3 million in 2026 alone. Ukraine says it will make 10 million this year and plans to double that, and China can surge to 500,000 a month, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.",[43,44,45,61],"table",{},[46,47,48],"thead",{},[49,50,51,55,58],"tr",{},[52,53,54],"th",{},"Country",[52,56,57],{},"Cheap drone output",[52,59,60],{},"Source",[62,63,64,76,87,98],"tbody",{},[49,65,66,70,73],{},[67,68,69],"td",{},"United States",[67,71,72],{},"Goal: about 250,000 by end of 2027",[67,74,75],{},"Pentagon \u002F Bloomberg",[49,77,78,81,84],{},[67,79,80],{},"Russia",[67,82,83],{},"7.3 million expected in 2026",[67,85,86],{},"Ukrainian intelligence",[49,88,89,92,95],{},[67,90,91],{},"Ukraine",[67,93,94],{},"10 million planned in 2026",[67,96,97],{},"Ukrainian government",[49,99,100,103,106],{},[67,101,102],{},"China",[67,104,105],{},"Up to 500,000 per month (surge)",[67,107,108],{},"Bloomberg Intelligence, February 2026",[32,110],{},[35,112,114],{"id":113},"why-the-drone-dominance-program-is-behind","Why the Drone Dominance Program Is Behind",[11,116,117],{},"The Drone Dominance Program buys one-way attack and FPV (First Person View) drones in four stages. Its first phase, Gauntlet I, awarded $150 million in March 2026 to 11 companies for 30,000 drones over five months, at an average price of about $5,000 per drone.",[11,119,120,121,125],{},"By mid-September, only three of those 11 companies had delivered their full order, according to Bloomberg. Gauntlet II covers 60,000 drones, and 10 winners were named in mid-September. We covered the follow-on round in our report on ",[15,122,124],{"href":123},"\u002Fpentagon-drone-dominance-phase-3-2026\u002F","Phase 3 of the program",", which requires a 400-drone production order within about two months.",[11,127,128],{},"Other figures from the report:",[130,131,132,136,139,142],"ul",{},[133,134,135],"li",{},"The Army has moved more than $850 million through its drone marketplace, yet it bought only 450 small drones from 21 vendors there, and Bloomberg did not reconcile the two numbers.",[133,137,138],{},"The Army delivered 8,500 small drones through Gauntlet and service programs in fiscal 2026.",[133,140,141],{},"The Replicator initiative promised \"multiple thousands\" of drones within 24 months of its August 2023 launch and delivered several hundred, according to an unnamed source.",[133,143,144],{},"The proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes about $55 billion for autonomous warfare, roughly $17 billion of it for uncrewed systems (Bloomberg Intelligence estimate), pending Congress.",[32,146],{},[35,148,150],{"id":149},"can-us-factories-catch-up-without-chinese-parts","Can US Factories Catch Up Without Chinese Parts?",[11,152,153],{},"US makers are scaling, but China still dominates the supply of batteries, brushless motors and propellers, and Pentagon rules restrict Chinese parts in military systems. Several companies are building domestic capacity, though the output is small next to Russia or China.",[130,155,156,163,169,175,181],{},[133,157,158,162],{},[159,160,161],"strong",{},"Teal Drones and Red Cat:"," build 1,000 Black Widow and 2,000 Fang FPV drones per month.",[133,164,165,168],{},[159,166,167],{},"Neros Technologies:"," won an Army contract in June worth up to $500 million for FPV drones and took on 800 drones that rivals failed to deliver.",[133,170,171,174],{},[159,172,173],{},"Performance Drone Works:"," holds $820 million in Defense Department loans, targets 1 million critical components a year by the end of 2028, and can currently build 10,000 complete drones annually.",[133,176,177,180],{},[159,178,179],{},"AeroVironment:"," targets 400 Switchblade loitering munitions a month from a new Salt Lake City plant by next year.",[133,182,183,186],{},[159,184,185],{},"Vector Defense:"," makes a few hundred small quadcopters a month.",[11,188,189,190,30],{},"Skydio CEO Adam Bry told Bloomberg that \"anybody who says their dependence on China is purely zero is probably deluding themselves.\" The Army also wants 50,000 domestic brushless motors by the end of fiscal 2027, according to Jon Strzelec of Army Materiel Command. For earlier context, see our coverage of the ",[15,191,193],{"href":192},"\u002Fpentagon-drone-production-ukraine-gap-2026\u002F","Pentagon drone production gap",[11,195,196],{},"Private money is flowing: AUVSI counts more than $60 billion invested in over 220 US drone companies from the start of 2025 through September, with 80-plus firms announcing plants totaling 15.8 million square feet.",[32,198],{},[35,200,202],{"id":201},"what-this-means-for-drone-pilots","What This Means for Drone Pilots",[11,204,205],{},"For recreational and commercial pilots, this is a supply and policy story more than a flying-rules story. The push for US-made drones is driving tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones and components, imposed in August 2026, plus tighter FCC rules on Chinese equipment. Both affect prices and availability.",[11,207,208],{},"What to expect:",[130,210,211,217,223,234],{},[133,212,213,216],{},[159,214,215],{},"Pricing:"," imported drones and parts, especially those with Chinese motors, batteries and radios, may cost more. Check where a model's components are made before buying.",[133,218,219,222],{},[159,220,221],{},"Parts and repairs:"," domestic production of motors and batteries could eventually ease FPV and enterprise parts shortages, but not within the next year.",[133,224,225,228,229,233],{},[159,226,227],{},"Brand choices:"," US-built options such as Skydio gain strategic weight. See our explainer on ",[15,230,232],{"href":231},"\u002Fis-dji-banned-in-the-us\u002F","whether DJI is banned in the US"," for the current status of existing models.",[133,235,236,239,240,30],{},[159,237,238],{},"FPV skills:"," military demand for cheap FPV drones is raising demand for trained pilots. If you are new to the format, start with our ",[15,241,243],{"href":242},"\u002Ffpv-drones-guide\u002F","FPV drones guide",[11,245,246],{},"The next real test is Gauntlet III's 400-drone deadline. Watch component output, such as motors and batteries, as the number that shows whether US capacity is catching up.",[32,248],{},[250,251],"faq",{":items":252},"[{\"question\":\"How many cheap drones does the Pentagon plan to buy?\",\"answer\":\"The Pentagon aims to field about 250,000 small drones by the end of 2027 under its roughly $1.1 billion Drone Dominance Program. Phase 2 covers 60,000 drones, and Phase 3 opened in September 2026 with a $450 million round for about 60,000 more.\"},{\"question\":\"How many drones will Russia build in 2026?\",\"answer\":\"Ukrainian intelligence expects Russia to build 7.3 million small expendable drones in 2026. That is nearly 30 times the Pentagon's 250,000-drone target for the end of 2027, according to the figures in Bloomberg's October 31, 2026 report.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is the US behind in cheap drone production?\",\"answer\":\"Officials cite slow procurement, immature factories and heavy reliance on Chinese motors, batteries and radios. By mid-September 2026, only three of the 11 Gauntlet I vendors had delivered their full order of 30,000 drones, according to Bloomberg.\"},{\"question\":\"Will this raise drone prices for consumers?\",\"answer\":\"Possibly. The US imposed tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones and components in August 2026, and the push for domestic parts may raise costs for models that depend on Chinese components. Existing models already approved for sale remain available.\"}]",[32,254],{},[11,256,257],{},[258,259,260,261,265,266,265,270],"em",{},"Sources: ",[15,262,264],{"href":17,"rel":263},[19],"Bloomberg"," | ",[15,267,269],{"href":27,"rel":268},[19],"DroneXL",[15,271,274],{"href":272,"rel":273},"https:\u002F\u002Fdronexl.co\u002F2026\u002F08\u002F15\u002Ftrump-drone-tariffs-section-232\u002F",[19],"DroneXL on Trump drone tariffs",{"title":276,"searchDepth":277,"depth":277,"links":278},"",2,[279,280,281,282],{"id":37,"depth":277,"text":38},{"id":113,"depth":277,"text":114},{"id":149,"depth":277,"text":150},{"id":201,"depth":277,"text":202},"news","2026-11-01","The Pentagon says the US is starting from basically zero on cheap drones while Russia builds 7.3M this year. Here are the numbers and what it means for pilots.",false,"md","\u002Fimages\u002Fneros-250m-series-c-drone-2026.jpg",{},true,"\u002Fen\u002Fposts\u002Fpentagon-starts-at-zero-cheap-drones-russia-7-million-2026",{"title":5,"description":285},"pentagon-starts-at-zero-cheap-drones-russia-7-million-2026","en\u002Fposts\u002Fpentagon-starts-at-zero-cheap-drones-russia-7-million-2026",[296,297,298,299,300],"pentagon","military drones","drone dominance","cheap drones","defense tech",null,"P9QDpxLsV_1fbstJ5aitEibiP2-zEnzItqZZlijmI9k",[304,306,317,328],{"title":5,"description":285,"date":284,"category":283,"image":288,"slug":293,"tags":305,"author":6},[296,297,298,299,300],{"title":307,"description":308,"date":309,"category":283,"image":310,"slug":311,"tags":312,"author":6},"FCC Opens 800 MHz Spectrum to Drones in 3-0 Vote (2026)","The FCC voted 3-0 on Oct. 29 to let drones use 50 MHz of 800 MHz cellular spectrum. Here's what the order changes, what it doesn't, and what comes next.","2026-10-31","\u002Fimages\u002Ffcc-american-drone-dominance-2026.jpg","fcc-adopts-800-mhz-drone-spectrum-order-2026",[313,314,315,316],"FCC","BVLOS","drone regulations","spectrum",{"title":318,"description":319,"date":320,"category":283,"image":321,"slug":322,"tags":323,"author":6},"Wing St. Louis Drone Delivery: 7 Walmart Hubs Planned","Wing wants about 7 Walmart drone hubs live at once in St. Louis, with 12 stores in play. Here's where each city stands and what happens Nov 2 in Manchester.","2026-10-29","\u002Fimages\u002Fwing-walmart-houston-drone-delivery-2026.jpg","wing-walmart-st-louis-drone-hubs-2026",[324,325,326,327],"drone delivery","Wing","Walmart","FAA",{"title":329,"description":330,"date":331,"category":283,"image":332,"slug":333,"tags":334,"author":6},"New York Drone Law: Mini 5 Pro Misses Hobby Exemption","New York's drone law exempts hobby aircraft up to 0.55 lb (249.5 g), a hair under the DJI Mini 5 Pro's 249.9 g spec. Here's what the 500-foot rule means.","2026-10-26","\u002Fimages\u002Fdji-mini-5-pro.jpg","new-york-drone-law-mini-5-pro-hobby-exemption-2026",[335,336,337,338],"new york","drone laws","dji mini 5 pro","regulation",1793517471385]