Opinion

Securing America’s Drone Manufacturing Surge

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Securing America’s Drone Manufacturing Surge
A U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Big Bend Sector demonstrates the use of a drone to detect illegal immigrants near the Marfa checkpoint in Texas on Nov. 3, 2025. Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images
Jen Sovada
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`Commentary
The U.S. Army’s new SkyFoundry initiative marks a historic acceleration in domestic drone production. Announced as a pilot program in October, it aims to manufacture up to 10,000 small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) per month in the next 2 to 3 years and ultimately scale to 1 million units annually once fully operational. The program will integrate advanced digital and automated manufacturing across multiple U.S. facilities, including a dedicated innovation hub to rapidly evolve drone designs based on lessons learned from global conflicts.
Jen Sovada
Jen Sovada
Author
Col. Jen Sovada (U.S. Air Force, ret.) is Public Sector GM at Claroty. She also serves as the chairwoman of the Board for the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, president of the National Intelligence University Alumni Association, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Intelligence University Foundation.