The Pentagon says it has fielded more than 25,000 drones, unmanned vessels and counter-drone systems to US Central Command (CENTCOM) this year, the command responsible for US forces in the Middle East. According to a 4 November 2026 release from the Department of War, the deliveries cost about $782 million and included more than 24,000 counter-unmanned aerial systems.
The deliveries were made by the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS), a Pentagon office set up in July 2026. According to Pentagon News, it brought together Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), the department’s innovation unit and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group.
What was delivered
The Department of War release lists three categories fielded to CENTCOM this year:
- More than 1,300 one-way attack drones, described as providing “precision deep-strike mass”.
- More than 100 unmanned surface and underwater vessels for maritime reconnaissance and strike.
- More than 24,000 counter-unmanned aerial systems, fielded through JIATF-401 to protect forward-deployed forces against drone attacks.
The release does not name the drone, vessel or counter-drone types, their manufacturers, or the countries where they are based within CENTCOM’s area, which covers the Middle East, parts of Central Asia and Egypt.
“The thousands of systems operating across CENTCOM this year are just the beginning,” said Owen West, who leads DRPM-UxS and Project Agincourt. The department said the office will keep delivering to CENTCOM while expanding to Indo-Pacific and European commands, and that the effort is the foundation for an Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM), a planned four-star command due to stand up by 1 October 2027.
Why it matters for the Middle East
The numbers show how far the US military in the region has shifted towards cheap, expendable systems. The counter-drone figure, more than 24,000 systems, is by far the largest category, reflecting the drone threat to US bases and ships in the region. The one-way attack drones are the US answer to the low-cost attack drones used by Iran and its partners. DefenceMENA has previously reported Iranian claims to have shot down a US LUCAS drone near Bandar Abbas; the Pentagon release does not say whether LUCAS is among the 1,300 delivered.
For Gulf and North African militaries, which are buying their own counter-drone layers, the release offers a benchmark of scale. Our guide to counter-drone systems in African armies covers what is documented on the continent.
Trade outlet ExecutiveGov also noted that in September JIATF-401 awarded 10 counter-drone contracts with a combined ceiling of $4.15 billion for Domestic Shield, a separate effort to protect priority sites in the United States.
Sources
- US Department of War release: “DRPM-UxS Deliver Over 25,000 Autonomous and Counter-Unmanned Systems to CENTCOM AOR”, 4 November 2026 (primary).
- Pentagon News (C. Todd Lopez): “Centcom Benefits From Project Agincourt, Drone Dominance Efforts”, 4 November 2026.
- MeriTalk: “Pentagon Delivers Over 25,000 Drones, Counter-Drone Systems to CENTCOM”, November 2026.
- ExecutiveGov: “DRPM-UxS Fielded $782M in Drones, Counter-UAS to CENTCOM”, November 2026.
All figures are as stated by the US Department of War; they have not been independently verified.