Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 07:03pm on 01 Jun 2026,Monday International
The US military is expanding its drone programme and testing thousands of low-cost combat drones. The Pentagon has launched an 18-month competition called "Drone Dominance" to identify the best drone manufacturers. The programme offers companies a share of $1.1 billion in contracts to build up to 300,000 drones. The Trump administration has also proposed spending $54.6 billion on drone warfare programmes in the next defence budget. Many competing firms are startups founded by drone racers, hobbyists and technology entrepreneurs. The drones cost about $5,000 each and are designed for one-time combat missions. Officials say future wars are likely to rely heavily on large drone swarms. (PC: Getty Images)
