A first-person view drone made by U.S. soldiers flies at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, April 9, 2025. The Army is seeking help from commercial suppliers to field thousands of small drones within two months, the service said in a statement Monday. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

The Army is aiming to fast-track production of thousands of small, cheap drones that soldiers can use in the field within about two months, the service said this week.

A statement Monday by the Army’s contracting office asks commercial producers to submit proposals by July 18.

The Army wants an initial delivery of drones by September with an “ability to quickly ramp production and larger quantities within 12 months,” according to the notice, which doesn’t specify the number of drones sought.

Specifications in the notice from the aviation department of the Army’s Program Executive Office call on vendors to offer strategies for producing individual drones under $2,000.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Chris Lehr hand-launches a homemade 3D-printed drone at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, April 11, 2025. The Army is looking for domestic vendors to produce thousands of small, cheap drones for delivery to soldiers by September, the service said. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

Soldiers also must be able to modify the systems, attach a variety of munitions and repair the drones without any contractor involvement, the Army said.

“The Army must expand (drone) production capacity across the industrial base,” the notice said. “Funding is available to achieve this.”

While the Army has an array of ongoing modernization initiatives focused on big-ticket items such as long-range precision fires, low-cost drones also have emerged as a major focal point.

The emphasis on such technology comes in response to the Russia-Ukraine war, where troops have used various drones to attack combat formations, tanks and even multimillion-dollar bombers and warships.

The war has become a laboratory for the Army, and bases in Germany have been a major testing ground for incorporating drones into unit formations.

For example, soldiers from the Vilseck-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment have been building their own systems in tandem with Ukrainian troops, taking advantage of their combat experience and hands-on experimentation with the technology, Army officials have said.

With small drones in high demand, units have adapted by making their own, using 3D printing capabilities and retooling off-the-shelf equipment.