Drones / Counter-UAS

The setup

The US government is actively building out its drone and counter-drone capabilities while simultaneously moving to onshore manufacturing. This effort is driven by significant Department of Defense contracts for both systems and support, alongside legislative and executive actions aimed at securing the supply chain and fostering domestic production. A recent Presidential Proclamation imposes substantial tariffs on imported drones, signaling a strong push for US-based manufacturing.

How this developed

1. May 14, 2025Department of the Army awards Textron Systems $1.55B to procure 14 Shadow Unmanned Aircraft Systems.Federal contract
2. Jul 9, 2025Defense Contract Management Agency awards Black River Systems $178.4M for Operational Counter SUAS Open Systems Architecture (OCOSA).Federal contract
3. Nov 7, 2025S.3163 is introduced, requiring the Secretary of Defense to engage Taiwan in a joint program for uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems capabilities.Bill
4. Dec 11, 2025Department of the Army awards General Atomics $1.89B for logistics support services for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System.Federal contract
5. May 4, 2026Air Force Materiel Command issues a Sources Sought notice for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS).Procurement notice
6. May 5, 2026Air Mobility Command issues a Pre-solicitation notice for DroneGun Mk4, Repair Kit, Immediate Response Kit, & Magnetic Antenna Kit.Procurement notice
7. Aug 13, 2026Presidential Proclamation imposes 100% tariffs on large imported UAS and components, and 25% on smaller UAS, authorizing an onshoring program.Executive action
8. Sep 1, 2026Department of the Army issues a Sources Sought notice for Precision Metal Motor Components for sUAS Systems.Procurement notice

Why it matters

• The Department of Defense is making substantial investments in both offensive (E1, E4) and defensive (E2, E7) drone capabilities, with contracts totaling over $3.6 billion for systems and support.
• The Presidential Proclamation (E11) signals a major policy shift to onshore drone manufacturing, imposing significant tariffs (100% on large UAS, 25% on smaller) and authorizing incentives for domestic production.
• Legislative efforts (E3) are pushing for international cooperation, specifically with Taiwan, on joint drone and counter-drone system development, indicating a strategic focus on allied capabilities.
• Multiple Sources Sought and Pre-solicitation notices (E6, E7, E8, E9, E10, E12, E13) from various DoD branches indicate an ongoing and broad demand for diverse drone and counter-drone technologies and components.

Named in a federal contract

Only companies that a specific contract in this theme names as recipient or parent. Not a recommendation.

The record · 12 items, oldest first

• May 14, 2025Federal contractTEXTRON SYSTEMS CORPORATION: PROCURE 14 SHADOW UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS
• Jul 9, 2025Federal contractBLACK RIVER SYSTEMS COMPANY, INC.: OPERATIONAL COUNTER SUAS OPEN SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE (OCOSA)
• Nov 7, 2025BillA bill to require the Secretary of Defense to seek to engage appropriate officials of Taiwan in a joint program with Taiwan to enable the fielding of uncrewed systems and counter-uncrewed systems capabilities.
• Dec 11, 2025Federal contractGENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.: REQUIREMENT IS FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF PERFORMANCE BASED LOGISTICS SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MQ-1C GRAY EAGLE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM.
• May 4, 2026Procurement noticeSources Sought - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS)
• May 5, 2026Procurement noticeDroneGun Mk4, Repair Kit, Immediate Response Kit, & Magnetic Antenna Kit
• May 8, 2026Procurement noticeU.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) Drones at the Speed of SOF (DATSS)
• May 11, 2026Procurement noticeUFR Dronebuster Tradein
• Jun 26, 2026Procurement noticeUSSOCOM Air Loitering Munition (ALM)
• Aug 13, 2026Executive actionProclamation: Adjusting Imports of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Components into the United States
• Aug 28, 2026Procurement noticeDrone
• Sep 1, 2026Procurement noticePrecision Metal Motor Components- sUAS Systems

Some keyword matches were judged unrelated to this theme and are excluded from the record above.

How this story evolved

Earlier versions of this narrative will appear here as the record is re-read.