May drone digest: American loitering munition spending continues to drive market growth
The Switchblade 400 can destroy moving tanks and heavy armour at standoff distances of up to 65km. (Photo: AeroVironment)
Loitering munition procurement has accelerated throughout May 2026 as militaries continue to prioritise the capability. The US has led this activity by advancing swarm-drone concepts, downselecting more drones for the Army’s LASSO programme, and awarding procurement contracts for various systems.
Throughout May 2026, several loitering munition procurement programmes advanced, in a sign that militaries increasingly require this capability due to its growing importance in modern warfare. The US, which has the world’s most valuable loitering munition market – forecast to be worth US$18.57 billion by Defence Insight – led this flurry of new activity.
One such effort was outlined by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which revealed it was looking into containerised Group 1 to Group 3 drones that can be operated within what it refers to as a “constellation”; a networked swarm supporting as many as 500 drones at once. A nearly identical requirement,
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