China Leads Drone Sector; US Faces Two Dilemmas in Catching Up, Says US Media
As China dominates drone technology, the United States faces a dual challenge to catch up: breaking China's monopoly on batteries and motors, and achieving low-cost mass production, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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- 📰 Published: May 3, 2026 at 19:03
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Washington, May 2nd (CNA) — Drone technology is rewriting the battlefield landscape. The Wall Street Journal points out that drone dominance is currently in China's hands, and if the U.S. wants to catch up, it needs to find ways to break China's monopoly on batteries and motors, and also to achieve mass production at the lowest possible cost.
The Wall Street Journal reported that as drones disrupt battlefields in places like Ukraine and Iran, the U.S. is striving to gain dominance in this latest military technology development, but Washington faces a problem: China has already achieved dominance.
Disassembling a battlefield drone from Ukraine offers a glimpse into China's dominance in manufacturing. The 'Bulava' drone unit of Ukraine's Presidential Brigade recently analyzed a Russian drone and found many components, at least partly manufactured in China, such as batteries, motors, and an unmarked chip.
A drone expert from 'Bulava' believes that without China's supply chain, Russia would not be able to build such drones.
Another drone expert from 'Bulava' even said when speaking of China, 'It has already won World War III, because everything is in its hands.'
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Pete Hegseth previously promised to try to break China's dominance in the drone sector through an $1.1 billion initiative called 'Drone Dominance,' which aims to expand procurement from U.S. suppliers to accelerate U.S. drone production and lower costs.
Most drones are composed of simple machinery, meaning that technically, the U.S. is not incapable of competing with China.
George Matus, co-founder of Utah-based drone startup Vector, said, 'The problem is really just economies of scale.'
The importance of scale has been evident in recent conflicts. In the first month of Iran's engagement with the U.S. and Israel, Tehran launched over 4,000 suicide drone attacks, while Ukrainian forces consumed approximately 10,000 drones per month over the past year or so.
However, for Washington, the problem is China's huge advantage in scale and cost. A U.S.-made quadcopter drone sold to the U.S. military can cost up to $15,000, at least three times the price of an equivalent Chinese-made drone.
If the U.S. hopes to deploy a long-term, competitive drone fleet against China, it needs to address two issues.
First, the U.S. needs to find a way to break China's monopoly on batteries and motors. The Trump administration has already invested billions of dollars in U.S. companies that control critical minerals required to manufacture motors and batteries.
However, experts warn that building the complex infrastructure required for mass production could take more than 10 years.
The U.S. also needs to find ways to minimize the cost of other components. The Pentagon has promised to procure 340,000 first-person view drones from domestic manufacturers, hoping that this volume will stimulate domestic supply chain growth and reduce costs.
The ultimate goal of the 'Drone Dominance' program is to drive the cost of a single drone down to $2,300. (Editing: Chen Yen-chun)1150503
The Wall Street Journal reported that as drones disrupt battlefields in places like Ukraine and Iran, the U.S. is striving to gain dominance in this latest military technology development, but Washington faces a problem: China has already achieved dominance.
Disassembling a battlefield drone from Ukraine offers a glimpse into China's dominance in manufacturing. The 'Bulava' drone unit of Ukraine's Presidential Brigade recently analyzed a Russian drone and found many components, at least partly manufactured in China, such as batteries, motors, and an unmarked chip.
A drone expert from 'Bulava' believes that without China's supply chain, Russia would not be able to build such drones.
Another drone expert from 'Bulava' even said when speaking of China, 'It has already won World War III, because everything is in its hands.'
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Pete Hegseth previously promised to try to break China's dominance in the drone sector through an $1.1 billion initiative called 'Drone Dominance,' which aims to expand procurement from U.S. suppliers to accelerate U.S. drone production and lower costs.
Most drones are composed of simple machinery, meaning that technically, the U.S. is not incapable of competing with China.
George Matus, co-founder of Utah-based drone startup Vector, said, 'The problem is really just economies of scale.'
The importance of scale has been evident in recent conflicts. In the first month of Iran's engagement with the U.S. and Israel, Tehran launched over 4,000 suicide drone attacks, while Ukrainian forces consumed approximately 10,000 drones per month over the past year or so.
However, for Washington, the problem is China's huge advantage in scale and cost. A U.S.-made quadcopter drone sold to the U.S. military can cost up to $15,000, at least three times the price of an equivalent Chinese-made drone.
If the U.S. hopes to deploy a long-term, competitive drone fleet against China, it needs to address two issues.
First, the U.S. needs to find a way to break China's monopoly on batteries and motors. The Trump administration has already invested billions of dollars in U.S. companies that control critical minerals required to manufacture motors and batteries.
However, experts warn that building the complex infrastructure required for mass production could take more than 10 years.
The U.S. also needs to find ways to minimize the cost of other components. The Pentagon has promised to procure 340,000 first-person view drones from domestic manufacturers, hoping that this volume will stimulate domestic supply chain growth and reduce costs.
The ultimate goal of the 'Drone Dominance' program is to drive the cost of a single drone down to $2,300. (Editing: Chen Yen-chun)1150503