Aerospace Group:

Unmanned Systems

Hegseth Directs Widespread Use Of Expendable Drones By End Of 2026

By Cal Biesecker

Thursday, July 10th, 2025

SHARE:

Hegseth Directs Widespread Use Of Expendable Drones By End Of 2026

Anduril's Ghost drone is on the Defense Innovation Unit's Blue UAS cleared list. Photo: Anduril

Responding to a recent presidential directive to bolster American drone capabilities, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military services to take a more aggressive role in quickly purchasing small drones and related components with a goal to widely field these systems by the end of 2026. Hegseth’s order is effective immediately and directs commanding colonels and Navy captains to enable the procurement, testing, training of Group 1 and 2 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)—with a bias toward American-made. “Commanders are…

Congress

Munitions Fired Represent Most of $25 Billion Spent By Pentagon on Iran War So Far

Munitions fired in the two-month old “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran represent most of the $25 billion cost the Pentagon has incurred thus far in the conflict, the acting Defense […]

Congress

Slotkin: Pentagon Should Use Anthropic’s Mythos To Spot Cyber Security Gaps

The Pentagon should be using Anthropic‘s recently announced Mythos artificial intelligence model to spot gaps in cyber security, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said on Tuesda. “I think the thing that […]

Budd And Shaheen Bill Would Authorize 329 F-15EX Fighters

Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), have introduced the Airpower Acceleration Act, which would authorize multi-year procurements of […]

Congress

HASC’s Wittman Sees ‘Challenging’ Push For $350B In Reconciliation Funds, Wants Sustained Defense Increase

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.– Congress’ work to pass $350 billion in reconciliation funds to support the Trump administration’s push for a $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 defense topline is “going to […]