Billions for new uncrewed systems and drone-killing tech included in Pentagon’s 2026 budget plan
The Defense Department rolled out information to reporters Thursday on its FY26 budget request.
By
Brandi Vincent
June 26, 2025
The Pentagon’s budget request for fiscal 2026 prioritizes major near-term investments in a wide variety of uncrewed systems and counter-drone capabilities, senior defense and military officials told reporters.
Detailed budget materials are being released on a rolling basis this week, but the officials provided insights into the nearly $1 trillion spending plan in an off-camera press briefing Thursday morning.
“This budget is the first year that we are calling out — specifically — our autonomy line in its own section. So, it will be $13.4 billion for autonomy and autonomous systems,” a senior defense official told DefenseScoop.
“For counter [unmanned aerial systems], the total request is $3.1 billion across the services,” they also confirmed.
https://defensescoop.com/2025/06/26/dod-fy26-budget-request-autonomy-unmanned-systems/
