Pentagon Secures Contract for 6,000 Striker Attack Drones as Ukraine Delivers Initial 2,000 FPV F10 Units

Contract Awarded for Striker Attack Drone Supply

According to НВ — Техно: The U.S. Department of Defense has finalized a $40.5 million contract with XTEND AI Robotics to procure 6,000 Striker attack drones under the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program. This initiative aims to produce a total of 200,000 drones by 2027, designed to reduce reliance on Chinese-made components. The program was launched following a directive from Secretary of State Pete Hegseth on July 10.

Each Striker drone costs approximately $6,750. By comparison, the average unit price for 7,000 Orqa drones is $5,429, while 14,000 Neros drones average $7,143 each. Striker drones operate on XTEND’s proprietary XOS system, enabling AI-assisted, operator-controlled strikes in complex urban environments. This contract follows successful testing of 120 Striker systems at Fort Carson, Colorado.

Design Features and Production Details

Striker drones are compact enough to be carried by infantry in backpacks as part of tactical units. They work in tandem with the versatile X-Strike combat module, which includes an electronic suppression and detonation device (ESAD) and a warhead. These drones are specialized for indoor operations where GPS signals may be lost and access is limited. Official specifications such as weight, speed, range, endurance, and warhead size have not been publicly disclosed.

The Drone Dominance Program’s initial budget allocates $150 million to procure 30,000 drones, with a goal to reduce average drone cost from $5,000 to $3,000. Meeting the 200,000-unit production target will require:

• 800,000 motors,
• 200,000 flight controllers,
• 200,000 batteries, and
• at least 200,000 cameras.

Accounting for a 5% defect rate, monthly production of 500,000 drones would demand approximately 2.105 million motors.

At $3,000 each, 200,000 drones would amount to a $600 million investment. Ukraine is projected to manufacture between 6 and 7 million FPV attack drones in 2026-equivalent to 500,000 to 583,333 units per month. In July 2026, Ukrainian company F-Drones delivered the first 2,000 FPV F10 drones to the U.S. as part of phase one of the Gauntlet I segment of the Drone Dominance Program. The Pentagon selected the F10 drone over competing models. F-Drones holds official export authorization for sales to the U.S. and collaborates with American partner UDD Tech Corp.

This contract and the broader Drone Dominance Program highlight the strategic U.S. commitment to advancing drone technologies amid global competition.

Specifically, the program seeks to secure a technological edge over rivals such as China. The involvement of Ukrainian manufacturers in these international contracts also signals a positive trajectory for Ukraine’s defense sector development.