Legislation would create federal drone facility

Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would ensure the United States can design, test and manufacture drones.

The SkyFoundry Act would create a government-run facility that would be capable of producing 1 million small drones annually. The bill would shorten the time it normally takes to produce weapons by bypassing traditional contracting.

“China and Russia are flooding the battlefield with millions of drones while America has sat on its hands,” U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), who introduced the bill, said. “More than 80 percent of casualties in modern war now come from drones, yet we still have no capacity to build them at scale. (This bill) cuts China out of our supply chains, it arms our troops with what they need to dominate, and it makes clear we will never again let our enemies out produce us in the weapons that decide wars.”

Harrigan is seeking cosponsors for the SkyFoundry Act.

Language in the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act laid the groundwork for SkyFoundry earlier this year. The SkyFoundry Act is the next step toward making the program permanent and ensuring the United States is prepared for drone warfare. Harrigan worked to have the language added to the act.