How the Pentagon Is Buying Drone Swarms Like Software Subscriptions

The Pentagon is shifting from buying individual drones to procuring entire swarms as a service, modeled on software-as-a-subscription contracts. Lucas and Luna break down a new acquisition experiment called 'Swan Song' that pays contractors per operational swarm-hour rather than per airframe. They connect the strategy to the broader move toward attritable systems and commercial off-the-shelf logic, and reference the recent run-up in defense primes like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. The conversation drills into one specific number: the Air Force's target cost of under $2,000 per drone in a swarm. Also covered: how this flips the traditional sustainment model on its head and what it means for smaller defense tech entrants like AeroVironment and Anduril. #DroneSwarms #Pentagon #DefenseTech #SwanSong #AttritableSystems #SubscriptionModel #AeroVironment #Anduril #AirForce #NorthropGrumman #LockheedMartin #AcquisitionReform #BusinessAndTechnology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #GovernmentContracting #MilitaryTech #Aerospace Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo