Krystyna Kazakova23:03, 27.07.26

A Pentagon representative acknowledged that drone production in the United States remains a small fraction of Ukraine’s production.

A Pentagon official said the United States is still in the initial and most difficult stages of developing a domestic drone industry, Reuters reports .

He acknowledged that production volumes remain a small fraction of Ukraine’s production volumes.

This is happening even as the government tightens regulations requiring the use of American-made parts in the manufacture of drones.

The publication shared that Travis Metz, deputy director and chief operating officer of the Defense Innovation Division, who has been leading the Pentagon’s Drone Domination program since last fall, said in an interview that Ukraine will produce six to seven million small first-person attack drones this year, or about 500,000 per month.

The publication notes that, for comparison, a total of just under 200,000 drones will be ordered by February under the Pentagon’s $1.1 billion program.

“It’s much more difficult to go from zero to 200,000 than to increase production later, when there is already an internal capacity to produce many more drones,” says Metz.

However, according to the publication, the Pentagon has just significantly complicated the rapid growth of drone production by introducing rules according to which military drones must be manufactured using American components.

It explains that the revised supply chain concept, published on July 23, added language that the government’s ultimate goal is a “fully domestic” supply chain for small unmanned aerial vehicles.

Metz acknowledged that shortages of hard-to-produce components, particularly semiconductors, remain a much more serious problem for the US outside of the drone program.

He noted that none of the drones from the 19 companies participating in the August tests can contain banned parts, such as Chinese-made brushless motors or rechargeable batteries.

According to him, this is a stricter standard than in the first phase of the program.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult,” he said, suggesting that the “vast majority” of drones purchased in the previous phase likely contained Chinese engines.

However, he noted that he expects the US to eventually become a competitor to the Ukrainian drone industry.

“I see no reason why we shouldn’t… become world leaders in this area as well,” said the chief operating officer of the Defense Innovation Branch at the Pentagon.

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

“Ukrainian company F-Drones has entered into a partnership with Ohio-based Ukrainian Defense Drones and opened a factory near Toledo, while Ukrainian drone manufacturer General Chereshnya has agreed to create a joint venture with New Hampshire-based Wilcox Industries,” the publication said, citing statements from these companies.

Metz noted that Ukrainian companies participating in the Gauntlet II program are required to localize production in the United States as a condition of receiving future orders.

It is explained that such a scheme is designed to transform Ukrainian combat experience into American production capabilities, rather than relying on imports.

(C)UNIAN 2026