The American defense company Anduril recently received a contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to supply more than 600 Bolt-M FPV drones (loitering munitions) as part of one of the phases of Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L). The deal was worth $23.9 million. The decision to purchase these drones was made after 13 months of testing. Deliveries are scheduled to take place from February 2026 to April 2027.
The War Zone spoke with Dan Leighton, General Manager for Precision Engagement Systems at Anduril, who shared a lot of interesting information about the creation of the Bolt-M FPV drone. He hinted that this weapon may be supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Read more: Secretly Tested in Ukraine V-BAT Drones Now Armed with Missiles — Could Ukraine Get Such Configuration?
When discussing the creation of the Bolt-M FPV drone, Leighton emphasizes that it incorporated military feedback, requirements, and experience. "We talked to the numerous veterans here in Anduril and made many of them fly the initial aircraft. We took soldiers, Marines, other users of modern conflicts, and then talked to a whole host of civilian FPV and drone operators in business as well, about what worked well, what could help them in their overall daily tasks," Leighton emphasizes.
The phrase "other users of modern conflicts" suggests that the Bolt-M was developed with the Ukrainian military's experience in mind. A batch of these drones may have been delivered to the Defense Forces of Ukraine for testing directly on the battlefield.
Anduril claims that, alongside the 250+ FPV drones delivered to the U.S. Marines, over 300 systems were also sent to an "unnamed customer" during testing. Defense Express emphasizes that the possibility of these drones being delivered to Ukraine is only a speculation and has not been officially confirmed.
However, this is a realistic scenario, considering that Anduril supplies the Armed Forces of Ukraine with its ALTIUS drones as part of the USAI initiative. The U.S. may have decided to continue cooperating on testing the Bolt-M drones.
It is also worth noting that Anduril Rocket Motor Systems, a division of the company, is a supplier of new solid-propellant engines for GLSDB long-range high-precision bombs. They became a new partner for Saab by offering a more affordable product with quicker delivery.
The Bolt-M FPV drone was first unveiled in the fall of 2024. It can fly over 20 km, remain airborne for up to 40 minutes, and be ready for action in just 5 minutes.
From the Defense Express side, we urges you to join a fundraising for what is already working: One United Fundraiser: Fundraising by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation for interceptor drones.
Read more: Controversy Surrounding Supply of German HX-2 Loitering Munitions to Ukraine: Stakeholder Positions
