Senators push for drone production facility at Red River Army Depot

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to introduce the SkyFoundry Act of 2025, legislation to establish a Department of Defense drone production facility at the Red River Army Depot to develop, produce and field drones for the Department of Defense.

“The men and women of the Red River Army Depot are committed to providing our servicemembers with the tools they need to defend our nation,” said Boozman. “With unmanned aircraft systems playing an increasingly prominent role in modern warfare, tasking them with developing and sustaining an adequate supply of drone systems would be a win for this skilled workforce and our armed forces. I am pleased to join my colleagues to champion this effort and the Arkansans whose vital contributions to Red River support our national security and local economy.”

“Large-scale manufacturing of small drones is critical to the Army’s current and future operational capability,” said Cotton. “This bill is a win for national security and for Arkansas as the Skyfoundry program presents a unique opportunity to more fully utilize the Army’s organic industrial base by positioning Red River Army Depot to meet the Army’s emerging requirements.”

Specifically, the SkyFoundry Act of 2025 will:

Establish a production facility and innovation facility for the manufacturing and development of small, unmanned aircraft systems; Utilize a Government-Owned, Government-Operated Contractor Augmented (GOGO/CA) model, blending military, civilian and contract personnel; and encourage public-private partnerships with industry, academia and nonprofits.