The deliveries also included more than 1,300 one-way attack drones for precision strikes at longer ranges. U.S. Central Command received more than 100 uncrewed surface and underwater vessels to expand its maritime reconnaissance and strike capabilities.
The Pentagon said it is expanding production on commercial lines and using modular software to get new equipment to troops faster. The aim is to give commanders lower-cost systems they can use in large numbers, reducing the need to expend munitions that cost millions of dollars apiece.
“The thousands of systems operating across CENTCOM this year are just the beginning,” said Owen West, chief executive of Project Agincourt and the Pentagon’s direct reporting portfolio manager for unmanned systems. “We will out-innovate, out-build, and out-adapt any adversary on the battlefield.”
The Pentagon plans to keep supplying Central Command while expanding deliveries to U.S. forces in the Pacific and Europe and across the wider joint force. The effort also lays the groundwork for Autonomous Warfare Command, a planned four-star combatant command due to be established by Oct. 1, 2027.
