Background

The US Army is the United States land warfare branch. Its procurement choices shape the equipment available to ground formations, particularly drones, counter-drone systems and autonomous vehicles.

The Army is also a major Pentagon customer for counter-drone command systems. On 14 March, Army Contracting Command awarded Anduril a 10-year, $20bn enterprise contract vehicle for the Lattice platform, consolidating more than 120 procurement actions.

Field testing gives the Army a role beyond contract award. On 9 June, V Corps soldiers tested Helsing's HX-2 autonomous strike drone in Lithuania while satellite navigation and communications were disrupted, hitting 15 of 17 targets.

Key Issues

Counter-drone lasers

The Army tests laser alternatives

On 10 April, the US Army delayed selection of an Enduring High Energy Laser winner from the second to the fourth quarter of financial year 2026. The decision prolonged its assessment of systems intended to defeat drones, rather than committing the service to one design.

On 15 April, AeroVironment delivered four LOCUST X3 systems to the Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office. Two were mounted on Infantry Squad Vehicles and two on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. The delivery gave the Army equipment to evaluate during the extended competition.

Common Questions

Recently resolved

What happened at Project Flytrap 5.0 in Lithuania?

US Army V Corps tested Helsing's HX-2 AI strike drone at Pabrade on 9 June 2026, achieving 15 kills in 17 engagements in GPS-denied, EW-contested conditions. It was the first confirmed US Army operational test of a European autonomous strike drone on NATO's eastern flank.Source: Lowdown Drones briefing

What directed-energy weapons programme is the US Army running?

The US Army is running the Expendable High Energy Laser (E-HEL) competition; winner selection slipped from Q2 to Q4 FY2026. AeroVironment's LOCUST X3 was delivered to RCCTO for evaluation in April 2026. The Army and Navy have also committed $675.93 million through FY2031 to the Joint Laser Weapon System, a 150-kilowatt containerised laser.Source: drones-industry-defence briefing

What is the US Army Gauntlet competition for drones?

Gauntlet is the US Army's competitive qualifying stage within the Drone Dominance FPV programme. Stage 1 ran 8-20 June 2026 with compressed price caps ($3,500 urban / $4,500 long-range) and an August 2026 deadline for vendors to remove Chinese motors and batteries.Source: Lowdown Drones briefing

How many drones did the US Army buy under Drone Dominance Phase 1?

Phase 1 closed roughly 10,000 units short of its 30,000 FPV target. Lead vendor Neros shipped all 2,400 ARCHeR drones contracted but only 1,040 cleared acceptance, a 43% acceptance rate. Phase 2 introduces lower price caps and an August 2026 deadline to remove Chinese components.Source: Lowdown Drones briefing

Why did a US Army Apache helicopter crash near the Strait of Hormuz?

An AH-64 Apache went down near the strait of Hormuz on 9 June 2026 during the Iran confrontation. Both crew members were rescued. The cause was unconfirmed at the time of reporting, with an official investigation report due the following day.Source: Lowdown Iran Conflict briefing

What does the FY2027 Pentagon budget mean for drone spending?

The FY2027 DoD budget request lifted the Defence Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) line from $225.9 million in FY2026 to $54.6 billion in FY2027, a 24,100% single-cycle increase. Total drone and counter-drone spending reached $70 billion in the request, described as the largest investment in drone warfare in US history.Source: drones-industry-defence briefing

What is Gauntlet II and when does it happen?

Gauntlet II is the Pentagon's second drone evaluation programme, scheduled for August 2026, targeting 50,000 to 60,000 drones. It includes mandatory GPS-denial testing and a live electronic warfare red team run by JIATF-401, designed to eliminate vendors whose systems cannot survive contested electromagnetic environments.Source: drones-industry-defence briefing #3

How many drones is the US Army trying to procure?

The US Army's Drone Dominance programme targets 300,000 drones by 2027 under a $1.1 billion budget. Eleven companies received Phase 1 delivery orders for 30,000 one-way attack drones at $5,000 per unit with a five-month delivery timeline.Source: drones-industry-defence briefing #2

What is the US Army's $20 billion Anduril contract?

In March 2026 the US Army awarded Anduril a 10-year, $20 billion enterprise contract vehicle for the Lattice Counter-UAS platform, consolidating more than 120 procurement actions into a single mechanism and giving Anduril default counter-drone vendor status across the entire Army without competitive tendering.Source: drones-industry-defence briefing #3

What did JIATF-401 award AeroVironment in July 2026?

On 6 July 2026 JIATF-401, the Army's counter-drone task force, awarded AeroVironment a second $500 million Domestic Shield IDIQ plus an $80.5 million Titan contract, worth $580.5 million combined, following Perennial Autonomy's May 2026 Merops IDIQ.

How the World Sees Them

Russia

The Lattice consolidation signals a systemic US counter-drone posture rather than incremental upgrades. Project Flytrap's European test, endorsing a German AI strike drone, indicates the Army is deliberately stress-testing non-US autonomy against Russian EW jamming.

Ukraine

The Army's mass-FPV model mirrors Ukraine's own approach. Project Flytrap's result is a template Ukraine's procurement offices are watching: European autonomous strike drones validated under US Army standards could accelerate allied supply to Kyiv.

Anduril Industries

The $20 billion Lattice enterprise vehicle gives Anduril default counter-drone vendor status for the entire Army, a structural monopoly position no other non-traditional defence company holds with any US military branch.

European allies (NATO)

Flytrap 5.0 at Pabrade is the first time the US Army has operationally tested a European autonomous strike drone on NATO's eastern flank. The result opens a credible US procurement pathway for EU-built AI drones and reduces allied dependence on US-only vendors.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 1 October 2026. Editorial standards.