From: Harold Brattland <habrattland@arvig.net> Sent: Friday, April 17, 2026 12:55 PM To: Brattland, Mike * <mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> Subject: Aviation Week :: U.S. Army Buys Thousands Of Drones, UAS Momentum Picks Up Check out this site https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/us-army-buys-thousands-... -- U.S. Army Buys Thousands Of Drones, UAS Momentum Picks Up Brian Everstine <https://aviationweek.com/author/brian-everstine> March 23, 2026 <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2026-03/armydronne.jpg?itok=oIhuTzuc> Credit: U.S. Army The U.S. Army within a few days in mid-March ordered thousands of reconnaissance drones as part of the service’s push to quickly field large numbers of relatively affordable systems for its formations. On March 20, the Army announced two contracts to AeroVironment for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), both expected to be fully fielded within months. First is a $117 million order for AV’s P550 Long Range Reconnaissance systems, Group 2 UAS that will provide battalion commanders with their own reconnaissance and target acquisition capabilities. The order came through the Army’s new UAS Marketplace Basic Ordering Agreement—a new portal for the military to quickly order cleared systems. This order is expected to be completed in July. “This award is a testament to the Army’s commitment to rapid and agile acquisition,” said Col. Danielle Medaglia, project manager for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, in an announcement. “The UAS Marketplace reduces traditional, lengthy procurement timelines to a few days. This allows us to get the most advanced capabilities into the hands of our soldiers at the speed of relevance, ensuring they are equipped to meet current and future challenges.” Also on March 20, the Army announced a $17 million order for AV’s new one-way attack drone called Red Dragon, with an estimated completion date of April 8. Skydio also announced on March 22 that the Army had placed a $52 million order for its X10D. The order includes more tan 2,500 of the small quadcopter drones, and represents the largest small UAS procurement from a single manufacturer in the service’s history, Skydio said in an announcement. The order went from bid to award in less than 72 hr., the company says. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/author_thumbnail/public/2021-11/Brian%20Everstine%205x7_1.jpg?itok=wafr1QlB> Brian Everstine <https://aviationweek.com/author/brian-everstine> Email: brian.everstine@aviationweek.com <mailto:brian.everstine@aviationweek.com> Brian Everstine is the Pentagon Editor for Aviation Week, based in Washington, D.C.