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Pentagon official: US starting nearly from zero on cheap drones as Russia approaches 7 million per year

Published 2 November 2026

Pro-Russian analytics channel Rybar, citing Bloomberg, reports that Travis Metz — the Pentagon official overseeing defence innovation — acknowledged the US is effectively starting from scratch on low-cost drone production. Russia is assessed to be on course for approximately 7 million drones produced in 2026; China is evaluated as capable of scaling to 500,000 per month; and Zelensky has publicly claimed 10 million for Ukraine. The Pentagon’s Drone Dominance programme aims to procure roughly 250,000 drones by the end of 2027 at a cost of about $1.1 billion, but only three of eleven contracted companies met a March 2026 delivery milestone. US-produced drones reportedly still incorporate Chinese motors, a supply-chain dependency that has not been resolved.

Sources — 1 source

Telegram channel, Russian side:Rybar adversary1 Nov 2026 Open the post

Topicsmanufacturing drones foreign involvement

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