US Marines award $23.9 million contract for over 600 Bolt-M attack drones

The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Anduril Industries a $23.9 million contract to provide more than 600 Bolt-M attack drones, the company announced.

The Bolt-M is a man-portable "kamikaze" drone designed to give infantry squads a precision strike capability against targets beyond their line of sight. Anduril said the system is intended to be easy to operate for small units on the battlefield.

The technology allows these units to engage targets rapidly and independently, without waiting for support from traditional air or artillery assets.

The contract marks a significant step in the military's effort to equip U.S. ground forces with compact and automated weaponry.

While the contract value remains modest by Pentagon standards, the deal serves as a pivotal indicator of a shift in U.S. military doctrine, shaped largely by the tactical realities of the war in Ukraine. By equipping infantry squads with compact, precision-strike loitering munitions, the Department of Defense is signaling an aggressive push toward the decentralization of firepower.

Historically, engaging a target beyond the line of sight required a complex, multi-layered coordination process involving infantry, reconnaissance assets, and air or artillery support. This centralized chain of command was often plagued by latency, frequently resulting in the loss of tactical surprise. Under the new model, systems like the Bolt-M grant small units the organic capability to find, fix, and finish targets independently. This shift significantly enhances the autonomy, survivability, and lethality of frontline units.

The selection also underscores a growing disruption within the defense industrial base. The rise of venture-backed "defense tech" firms like Anduril is increasingly challenging the dominance of legacy primes such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. By utilizing software-first, agile development cycles, these newcomers are delivering capabilities to the battlefield faster and more cost-effectively than traditional procurement allows. The Marine Corps' pivot to the Bolt-M suggests that the Pentagon’s priority has shifted toward high-tech, rapidly deployable, and adaptable solutions capable of meeting the demands of modern, asymmetric warfare.