U.S. War Department launches drive for 300,000 combat drones under President Trump’s Drone Dominance Plan.

The U.S. government has launched a large-scale effort to acquire more than 300,000 combat drones, according to information attributed to the assumed Department of War. Officials say the surge aims to align with President Donald J. Trump’s executive order on expanding American drone dominance and to prepare for faster shifting battlefield requirements.

U.S. defense officials outlined a sweeping new procurement program targeting more than 300,000 combat-capable drones, describing it as the most aggressive unmanned systems push attempted to date. The announcement, attributed to the assumed Department of War publication on December 2, says the initiative stems from U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s Unleashing American Drone Dominance executive order. Planners emphasize that high-tempo drone operations, dispersed formations, and persistent surveillance needs are shaping future conflicts. Early guidance suggests that the effort will blend rapid acquisition pathways with established contracting channels, but officials have not yet detailed vendor selection or production timelines.
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At Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, soldiers from Sioux Company, Multi-Purpose Company, 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, prepare to launch a Ghost-X Medium-Range Reconnaissance drone while operating the Soldier Borne Mission Command Surrogate system during a field training exercise. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)

The Unleashing American Drone Dominance initiative is a presidentially mandated effort to supply U.S. forces with hundreds of thousands of small, low-cost, lethal drones over the next two years. Backed by $1 billion in immediate funding through the administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” the program aims to transform tactical doctrine by integrating mass-produced one-way attack drones into U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations units. The goal is to saturate the battlefield with scalable, rapidly deployable, attritable unmanned capabilities specifically designed to overmatch peer adversaries in swarm-based combat environments.

The structure of this effort reflects both the urgency and the scale of the challenge. The War Department will execute the program in four procurement phases, also called “gauntlets” (procurement rounds), beginning in February 2026. Initially, 12 manufacturers will deliver 30,000 one-way attack drones at $5,000 each. By the final phase in 2027, five selected vendors will produce 150,000 drones at just $2,300 per unit, with total production expected to exceed 340,000 systems.

This accelerated drone production effort is grounded in direct combat observations from Ukraine and similar conflict zones, where affordable drones have increased the vulnerability of high-value platforms. The operational takeaways are clear: conflicts are no longer fought exclusively with aircraft carriers, tanks, and fighter jets, but increasingly with large numbers of small unmanned aerial systems capable of scouting, striking, and overwhelming defenses through sheer volume over technological complexity.

The Russia-Ukraine war has shown that drone saturation can neutralize armored columns, disrupt logistics, and expose command nodes with unmatched speed and precision. Forces have fielded commercially adapted drones in mass formations to conduct loitering strikes, drop munitions, and force adversaries to expend disproportionately expensive air defenses in response. These engagements have revealed a critical gap in the U.S. military’s readiness: the lack of a large-scale, cost-effective drone capability suitable for high-intensity, peer-to-peer warfare.

Traditional U.S. platforms like the MQ-9 Reaper or high-end missile defense systems are not designed to withstand this volume-centric threat. Moreover, relying on multimillion-dollar interceptors to defeat drones priced under $2,000 is not a sustainable approach. The new drone acquisition effort directly confronts this asymmetry by embracing expendable platforms at scale, intended for rapid battlefield deployment in contested environments.

Strategists intend for U.S. ground forces to conduct drone-centric operations that degrade enemy forces before contact, extend battlefield awareness, and execute saturation attacks that suppress enemy movement and air defenses. These drones do not simply support operations. They serve as integral weapons systems embedded at the tactical edge, designed for persistent deployment by dismounted units, forward observers, and mechanized formations alike.

At the operational level, the program also addresses the need for resilience against supply chain disruptions and overdependence on legacy defense primes. By signaling stable, long-term demand and reducing regulatory barriers, the War Department aims to foster a domestic industrial ecosystem capable of rapidly scaling production outside of traditional procurement cycles. The focus is on agility, not bureaucracy. This enables faster fielding of technologies that keep pace with the evolution of conflict.

Doctrinal transformation anchors the program. The Department of War plans to embed drone warfare into all major combat training rotations starting in 2026, signifying a force-wide transition toward autonomous and semi-autonomous operations. Forces will integrate drones not just for reconnaissance but as central elements of offensive and defensive maneuver across all echelons. This approach marks a return to quantity-driven warfare, now powered by digital lethality and decentralized execution.

The tactical implications are significant. In future conflicts, U.S. forces are expected to operate in degraded environments where traditional air superiority may be contested or denied. In such conditions, swarms of low-cost drones can provide a critical offset, conducting deep strikes, overwhelming enemy sensors, and enabling dispersed units to maneuver under the cover of drone-enabled disruption. This creates a fluid, unpredictable battlespace where lethality is generated not by massing troops, but by massing autonomous strike platforms.

The global security environment now features a rising number of actors deploying drone swarms in both gray zone operations and conventional warfare. China, Iran, and Russia have each demonstrated intent and capacity to field drones in volume, with increasingly sophisticated command-and-control and electronic warfare capabilities. The U.S. must respond to this evolution with more than legacy systems.

The Unleashing Drone Dominance project does more than plan acquisitions. It fundamentally shifts how the U.S. prepares for war. By prioritizing rapid production, scalable lethality, and battlefield relevance, the initiative positions the American military to lead in the next era of conflict—where adversaries contest airspace, pursue electronic warfare, and rely on human-machine teaming as the decisive edge.

If successful, this program will position the United States by 2027 with a highly agile, cost-effective drone arsenal capable of saturating battlefields with precision-guided unmanned firepower to deliver deterrence and dominance in future great-power conflicts.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.