US admits Ukraine leads in drones as Pentagon sets ambitious goal
Ukrainian soldier with a drone (Photo: Getty Images)
The US is still significantly lagging behind Ukraine in the production of combat drones and is only at the initial stage of developing its own drone industry, according to Reuters.
Travis Metz, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit, which is responsible for developing the American drone industry, admitted that current US production volumes account for only a small fraction of Ukraine's. At the same time, Washington is already tightening requirements for military drone production, focusing on the use of American-made components.
According to Metz, this year Ukraine will produce between six and seven million small strike FPV drones, or approximately 500,000 per month.
For comparison, under the US Drone Dominance program worth $1.1 billion, they plan to order just under 200,000 drones by February.
"It's much harder to get from zero to 200,000" than it will be to scale up further once a domestic capacity to build many more drones exists," he noted.
Why the US cannot quickly scale up production
At the same time, the Pentagon has tightened requirements for military drone manufacturers. According to the new rules, they must be produced using American-made components. The ultimate goal is described as creating a fully domestic supply chain for small drones.
Metz acknowledged that semiconductors and other critical components remain the biggest challenge for the US. According to him, none of the drones from the 19 companies participating in the August Gauntlet II trials can contain prohibited parts, including Chinese brushless motors or batteries.
At the same time, he suggested that the vast majority of drones purchased in the previous phase of the program still used Chinese motors.
Despite the current gap, Metz is confident that the US can catch up with Ukraine.
"I see no reason why we shouldn't ... be the world champions of this as well," he stated.
Ukrainian companies are already entering the US market.
According to the official, all six Ukrainian companies that will participate in the Gauntlet II trials next month in Colorado have already signed or are preparing to sign agreements with the US to establish joint ventures.
In particular, F-Drones is cooperating with Ukrainian Defense Drones, which has opened a plant in Ohio. At the same time, the manufacturer General Cherry has agreed to establish a joint venture with the American company Wilcox Industries.
As Metz explained, localizing production in the US is a mandatory condition for Ukrainian companies hoping for future American orders. According to the Pentagon's concept, this should help combine Ukrainian combat experience with US production capabilities, rather than relying on the import of finished products.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine seeks to conclude a large-scale agreement with the US in the field of drones (Drone Deal), which would involve technology exchange and the development of joint production. According to him, the document is almost ready. Ukraine also plans to build a large drone manufacturing plant in the US, as drones require constant updating due to the rapid development of technologies on the battlefield.
