Army poised to build drone marketplace for soldiers and units
The U.S. Army is developing an Amazon-like “marketplace” to help units quickly find and select drones that match their mission needs, ensuring they perform as advertised and comply with requirements. Driven by a Pentagon push to equip every squad with affordable, expendable drones by 2026, the platform will replace slow traditional acquisition with a faster, open competition model where vendors submit systems for vetting, rating, and listing under a tiered “bronze, silver, gold” system. The marketplace will provide verified performance data, incorporate soldier feedback, and foster collaboration between drone and payload vendors, starting with small drones and launched effects. A minimum viable product is targeted for early October, with an industry day planned for September in Huntsville, Alabama.