Drones are here to stay, and the US Army wants to produce 120,000 unmanned aerial systems per year by 2026.  

At the same time, there is a proposed law in Congress that would require the government to produce 1 million small drones per year.  

The US Army Materiel Command is working on “SkyFoundry,” a pilot program designed to rapidly develop, test, and produce small unmanned aerial systems. According to Army officials, the goal is to produce as many as 10,000 drones per month initially, with goals for 20,000 drones per month later down the line. Army officials are currently searching for and identifying facilities that can support the program.  

“I think 90 percent of the domestic drone market is owned by China, so we can’t go to that. So, let’s create our own domestic drone market,” Undersecretary of the Army Michael Obadal said during a fireside chat at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting and exposition on Tuesday.  

At the same time, US lawmakers are promoting legislation that would revolutionize the domestic US drone market.........

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