SkyFoundry Act of 2025
The SkyFoundry Act of 2025 would require the Department of Defense to create a comprehensive SkyFoundry Program focused on rapidly developing, testing, and scaling the production of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), with possible expansion to related energetics and autonomous technologies. The program would be administered by the Secretary of the Army and integrated into the Defense Industrial Resilience Consortium. It envisions a two-part structure: an innovation facility for R&D and testing, and a government-owned production facility capable of producing up to 1,000,000 small UAS annually. The bill emphasizes accelerated acquisition methods (such as Other Transaction Authority and the middle tier of acquisition), public-private partnerships, and a government-owned contractor-augmented model. It also seeks to protect U.S. intellectual property, designate the UAS supply chain as essential under the Defense Production Act, and authorize expedited approvals or waivers to speed progress. In short, the bill aims to create a fast-moving, government-supported ecosystem to develop and manufacture large volumes of small drones domestically, leveraging Army-led facilities, private partners, and streamlined regulations.
Key Points
- 1Establishes the SkyFoundry Program, administered by the Secretary of the Army and housed within the Defense Industrial Resilience Consortium, to accelerate development, testing, and scalable production of small UAS (with potential expansion to related energetics and autonomous systems).
- 2Creates two components: (1) an innovation facility for R&D and testing of UAS designs and lessons learned from global conflicts; (2) a production facility that can eventually manufacture up to 1,000,000 small UAS per year, operated by Army Materiel Command.
- 3Uses accelerated acquisition mechanisms, including Other Transaction Authority and the middle tier of acquisition, to speed development and fielding.
- 4Establishes a Government-Owned Government-Operated contractor-augmented model, enabling multiyear contracts, integration of contractor personnel into hybrid military-civilian teams, and public-private partnerships with private industry, universities, and nonprofits.
- 5Sets up strong IP protections for the United States, ensuring government-purpose rights for jointly developed technologies and enabling ongoing production, sustainment, modification, and competition.