Neros Technologies Lands $100M+ Pentagon Order for 14,000 Archer FPV Kamikaze Drones Under Drone Dominance Program

US defense startup Neros Technologies has been awarded a contract valued at over $100 million by the Pentagon for 14,000 Category 1 one-way attack drones and explosive payloads, marking one of the largest single orders from the Department of Defense's Drone Dominance Program. The award stems from Neros's strong performance in Gauntlet II testing, where its Archer AI (10-inch) platform placed third in deep-strike missions and its smaller 5-inch Archer variant won first place in close-quarters battle scenarios. The drones feature terminal guidance AI that allows them to autonomously navigate to operator-selected targets, providing resilience against electronic warfare jamming of radio frequencies and GPS. This builds on Neros's prior successes, including multiple bonus awards for rapid delivery in earlier phases and shipments of tens of thousands of drones to Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent announcement of the upcoming Autonomous Warfare Command (AutoWarCom), slated for operational status in fall 2027, underscores the broader push to accelerate drone procurement across categories. Credible reporting from Defense News confirms Neros received orders for 14,000 drones alongside Perennial Autonomy's 8,000, as part of a program aiming for $1 billion in domestic drone investments. Additional details from DroneXL and SOFX highlight bonus reallocations of 800 drones from underperforming competitors, emphasizing production speed as a key factor. Neros CEO Soren Monroe-Anderson noted the company's modular design and ability to excel across mission sets with a single platform. The deal aligns with a larger rearmament effort, including a separate up-to-$500 million Army IDIQ contract for Archer systems under the Purpose-Built Attritable Systems program.