The U.S. Army has requested FY2026 funding for small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS, commonly referred to as drones). These systems support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); target acquisition and strike; electronic warfare operations; and other missions. Congress has expressed an interest in the U.S. military's UAS capabilities and in the Department of Defense's (DOD's) ability to develop, acquire, and integrate such systems into tactical units. In proposed FY2026 defense authorization and appropriations legislation, Congress is considering whether to approve, modify, or deny the Army's requested funding and its plans for incorporating these systems into Army units. This product primarily covers Group 1 and 2 UAS—that is, those sUAS that weigh less than 55 pounds and fly at or below 3,500 feet above ground level.
In 1988, at the direction of Congress (see P.L. 100-202, 101 Stat. 1329-60), DOD published its first "Master Plan" for uncrewed aircraft, establishing requirements and an acquisition strategy for UAS. The plan recommended a "close range" UAS for "lower level tactical units," one that could be acquired in large numbers and at low cost. Beginning in the 2000s, the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven, a 4-pound fixed-wing aircraft, largely filled this role for the Army. By 2010, the Army reportedly fielded close to 4,000 Raven aircraft. The Marine Corps, Special Operations Command, and the Air Force also adopted the Raven.
In February 2024, then-Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff General Randy George announced plans to phase the RQ-11 Raven out of service as part of a broader "rebalance" of the Army's aviation investments and to "increase investments in research and development to expand and accelerate the Army's unmanned aerial reconnaissance capability." Under the ongoing Transformation in Contact (TiC) initiative, first revealed by General George in December 2023, the Army is evaluating various types of sUAS and the potential force structure requirements that may accompany the integration of these systems into ground units.
The second Trump Administration has sought to encourage the Army's adoption of drones and reduce perceived barriers to the development and procurement of sUAS within DOD. In an April 30, 2025, memorandum, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Army to implement a comprehensive transformation strategy, including by fielding unmanned systems and ground/air launched effects "in every Division by the end of 2026." In a July 16, 2025, press release, DOD stated that Secretary Hegseth had issued a second, department-wide memorandum, "rescinding restrictive policies that hindered drone production."
Source: Daniel Amburg, Fort Dix, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS). |
The Army has proposed fielding what it refers to as the Family of Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (FoSUAS) to replace the Raven and to provide ground forces with "situational awareness and enhanced force protection," according to the service's FY2026 budget request to Congress. This approach is designed to align specific systems to particular echelons—squad, platoon, company, and battalion—and deliver capabilities tailored to each level of organization. In selecting the aircraft for the FoSUAS, the Army has stated that it adopted a "flexible and agile acquisition plan" to respond to evolving technology and avoid committing to a single product.
In its FY2026 budget request to Congress, the Army requested approximately $803.9 million in discretionary funding for the procurement and research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) of the sUAS programs described in this product (see Table 1).
Table 1. Requested and Enacted Funding for Army Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(in millions of dollars of discretionary budget authority)
FY2024 Enacted |
FY2025 Enacted |
FY2026 Request |
|
Procurement |
$72.5 |
$70.5 |
$747.9 |
RDT&E |
$27.4 |
$27.9 |
$56.0 |
Source: CRS analysis of the DOD FY2026 budget request to Congress and Army budget justification documents.
Notes: Table reflects the funding for the programs described in this product. Figures do not reflect potential funding for such programs provided by the FY2025 reconciliation legislation (P.L. 119-21).
In Section 20005 of the FY2025 reconciliation legislation (P.L. 119-21), commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Congress appropriated $1.4 billion "for the expansion of the small unmanned aerial system industrial base." All funds were "appropriated to the Secretary of Defense for fiscal year 2025" and carry a five-year period of availability, meaning that they could be obligated until September 30, 2029, and expended through FY2034. In a July 22, 2025, letter to Secretary Hegseth, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike D. Rogers and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger F. Wicker requested DOD provide a plan for how the department intends to spend the funds it provided in the reconciliation legislation.
As part of its oversight role, Congress could examine the following:
Several foreign militaries, including that of Ukraine and Poland, have established specialized units for operating and training with sUAS. Congress has considered legislation that would require the Army to create a "Drone Corps" as a separate basic branch of the Army, a proposition the Army opposed. Congress has also enacted legislation directing the Secretary of Defense to provide a report on "equipping platoon-sized ground combat formations with group 1 or group 2" UAS (P.L. 118-31, §1071). Congress may request briefings on whether the Army's TiC exercises have generated requirements for unit organization and training, and on the potential implications for force structure stemming from the planned widescale adoption of sUAS.
A 2025 Defense Innovation Board (DIB) report found that uncrewed systems "stand out due to their unique reliance on adversarial nations throughout the manufacturing lifecycle." Congress has directed the Secretary of Defense to provide a report on the supply chain for sUAS, including an assessment of DOD's "total requirement for sUASs" (P.L. 118-159, §162). In the report accompanying the Senate Appropriations Committee's version of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026, the Committee expressed concern about "vulnerabilities in the domestic sUAS manufacturing base" (S. 2572; S.Rept. 119-52). Congress has enacted legislation providing DOD funding to expand the sUAS industrial base (P.L. 119-21) and Members have requested briefings on how DOD intends to allocate such funds. Congress may consider whether or not such proposals meet congressional intent.
Some analysts have noted the effectiveness of Ukraine's use of drones and identified steps the U.S. Army should take to build its sUAS capabilities. Others have questioned the effectiveness of FPV drones in Ukraine. According to one analysis, "systems which cannot be upgraded post-delivery to new radio and EW-related modules will quickly become obsolete." Army officials have said in congressional testimony and elsewhere that the service is applying a modular open systems approach (MOSA) to its sUAS programs, one that could enable it to "upgrade platforms without being locked into a specific configuration or solution." Congress may seek information about the Army's approach, and about the projected lifecycle and sustainment costs for the Army's sUAS.