The Department of Defense (DOD) said on Nov. 4 that it has delivered more than 25,000 drone and counter-drone systems to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) this year, leveraging approximately $782 million to accelerate the deployment of low-cost autonomous capabilities.
According to the announcement, the Pentagon’s Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS) has fielded more than 1,300 one-way attack drones, over 100 unmanned surface and underwater vessels, and more than 24,000 counter-unmanned aerial systems through Joint Interagency Task Force 401.
The one-way attack drones are designed for precision strikes, the unmanned maritime vessels are intended to expand reconnaissance and strike capabilities, and the counter-drone systems are intended to protect deployed forces against adversary unmanned aircraft, DOD said.
“DRPM-UxS was established to cut through red tape and put lethal technology directly into the hands of our frontline troops,” said Owen West, director of DRPM-UxS and CEO of Project Agincourt. “The thousands of systems operating across CENTCOM this year are just the beginning.”
The deliveries are part of the Pentagon’s broader effort to move away from lengthy development and acquisition timelines and toward faster procurement of inexpensive, mass-producible autonomous systems.
Established in July, DRPM-UxS brought together Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the Department Innovation Unit, and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group to accelerate the development, procurement, and deployment of unmanned capabilities across the military.
The Pentagon said the effort is designed to provide lower-cost alternatives to traditional weapons systems while expanding the military’s ability to deploy autonomous capabilities at scale.
According to a separate Nov. 4 Pentagon report, the department has invested more than $6 billion in unmanned systems over the past year to accelerate capabilities across air, land, and maritime domains.
The Trump administration has rebranded DOD as the Department of War.