U.S. Army to launch ‘Amazon-like’ drone marketplace
This fall, the U.S. Army will launch a new online marketplace for purchasing unmanned systems — an “Amazon-like” platform that will allow units to select vetted solutions by price and performance, bypassing the lengthy bureaucratic acquisition process.
The U.S. Army will roll out a new online platform designed to classify and purchase unmanned aerial systems (UAS) through what leaders from the service’s Program Executive Office for Aviation describe as a “centralized, ‘Amazon-like’ storefront.”
The system, which will filter trusted drone solutions by cost and performance, is intended to bypass the Pentagon’s lengthy acquisition process. Army officials said the approach is part of a broader push to streamline how unmanned systems are evaluated, procured, and deployed.
The Army’s initiative reflects a growing recognition across the Defense Department that procurement speed is critical in modern conflict, particularly in rapidly evolving areas like unmanned systems. In recent years, long lead times in the Pentagon’s acquisition process have drawn criticism for slowing the delivery of urgently needed capabilities to the battlefield.
The United States is also studying lessons from Ukraine, which earlier this year launched its own defense technology marketplace, Brave1 Market. The Ukrainian platform serves as a hub for military units to directly acquire needed technology, ranging from drones to software solutions.
At the launch of Brave1 Market, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister for Innovation Mykhailo Fedorov described it as “Amazon for the military, which will give units the ability to purchase exactly the technologies they need now at the front.” He added that the marketplace would “help solve the problem of spreading effective technologies, since the military often do not know about tools already on the market that can help them effectively accomplish their missions.”
Brave1 Market already lists over 1,000 innovative solutions, including unmanned aerial and ground systems, electronic warfare tools, AI-based platforms, munitions, and various software applications. To protect manufacturers, access to the open catalog requires verification through Ukraine’s Diia government services app, while sensitive listings in a closed catalog are restricted to verified military personnel through the Delta system.
U.S. defense officials have closely watched Ukraine’s use of this model to accelerate battlefield innovation. In a conflict where drone technology and electronic warfare are rapidly evolving, Ukraine’s ability to connect frontline units directly with developers has been credited with improving the speed and relevance of technological adoption.
For the Army, the new drone procurement site is meant to serve a similar purpose: ensuring that units can obtain systems tailored to their immediate operational needs without waiting months or years for approvals. Officials say it will also create a competitive environment for industry, encouraging developers to meet Army requirements quickly and at a range of price points.
While the Army has not disclosed how many systems will initially be available on the platform, leaders indicated it will focus on trusted vendors and tested solutions. The “Amazon-like” interface is expected to include performance specifications, cost comparisons, and procurement timelines in a single view.
The rollout of the platform is part of a broader shift toward agility in defense procurement, particularly in emerging technology areas where the pace of development outstrips the Pentagon’s traditional processes. By adopting marketplace concepts proven in Ukraine, the Army hopes to close the gap between innovation and field deployment.
