US is significantly behind Ukraine in drone production

The US is still in the very early and challenging stages of this effort, acknowledging that production volumes remain a fraction of Ukraine's, even as the government tightens regulations requiring drones to be manufactured using American-made parts, Reuters reports.

Travis Metz, deputy director and chief operating officer of the Defense Innovation Division, who has been managing the Pentagon's Drone Dominance program since last fall, said Ukraine will produce six to seven million small FPV attack drones this year, or approximately 500,000 per month.

The Pentagon's $1.1 billion program will order just under 200,000 drones by February.

The Pentagon has significantly hampered the rapid growth of drone production by introducing regulations requiring military drones to be manufactured using American components. The revised supply chain framework, released on July 23, added language stating the government's ultimate goal is a fully domestic supply chain for small unmanned aerial vehicles.

Metz acknowledged that harder-to-source components, particularly semiconductors, remain a much greater challenge for the US outside the drone program.

None of the drones from the 19 companies participating in the August tests can contain prohibited Chinese-made parts. This is a stricter standard than in the first phase of the program.

"It's becoming increasingly challenging," he said, suggesting that the vast majority of drones acquired in the previous phase likely contained Chinese engines.

Metz noted that all six Ukrainian companies invited to the Gauntlet II trials, which will take place next month at Fort Carson, Colorado, have already entered into or are preparing to enter into joint venture agreements with American manufacturers as a condition for future orders.

Ukrainian company F-Drones has partnered with Ohio-based Ukrainian Defense Drones and opened a factory near Toledo, while Ukrainian drone manufacturer General Cherry has agreed to establish a joint venture with New Hampshire-based Wilcox Industries, according to the companies themselves.

Metz noted that Ukrainian companies participating in the Gauntlet II program are required to localize production in the United States as a condition for future orders; this arrangement is intended to translate Ukrainian combat experience into American production capacity, rather than relying on imports.

Photo: Ministry of Digital Transformation.