Youngstown Hub Seeks U.S. Suppliers for NDAA-Compliant Small UAS

The Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace & Defense, managed by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), is gathering information from qualified U.S.-based suppliers that can support the expanding small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) market. The request covers components, subassemblies, and manufacturing services for NDAA-compliant small UAS, with particular interest in manufacturers and suppliers based in Ohio. Companies do not need to be supplying these items today: the Hub is also interested in organizations that can add or adjust production capabilities to serve the market.

Responses to the Request for Information are due November 6, 2026. This is market research, not a request for proposals, contract solicitation, or commitment to purchase. Its purpose is to help the Hub understand the supplier landscape and inform future strategy, including potential procurement or partnership opportunities. Respondents should therefore treat the RFI as an opportunity to communicate present capabilities, capacity, interest, and plausible plans for expanding or adapting production—not as an indication that an award is imminent.

The effort is set against the Department of War’s $1.1 billion Drone Dominance Program, which aims to procure more than 200,000 Group 1 one-way attack sUAS by 2027. That scale and schedule create a potential demand signal for suppliers able to support competitive production while meeting cost, performance, domestic-sourcing, quality, and certification requirements. The Hub says it wants to identify manufacturers, fabricators, and suppliers that can scale operations and contribute to supply-chain collaboration and integration. For companies considering a response, evidence of production readiness and a credible path to higher throughput may be particularly relevant to the market research.

The RFI also highlights a regional industrial-base objective. Director Megan Malara, Ph.D., said, “We want to connect with companies that have the capabilities today or the potential to develop them to scale production, reduce costs, and build a more resilient defense industrial base.” She described the effort as a way to identify untapped regional and statewide capabilities and create pathways for manufacturers to enter the expanding market. The Hub, based in Youngstown, Ohio, describes itself as a national proving ground for advanced and additive manufacturing, bringing together facilities, talent, and strategic partnerships to move manufacturing ideas from concept to market. For prospective respondents, the practical value is early visibility: clearly documenting what the company can make, how it can scale, and how it can support domestic supply-chain resilience may help inform future planning, while offering no guarantee of a contract.

• Response deadline: Submit RFI information by November 6, 2026; questions may be sent to info@youngstownhub.us.
• Scope: The Hub seeks information on components, subassemblies, and manufacturing services supporting NDAA-compliant small UAS.
• Supplier profile: U.S.-based manufacturers, fabricators, and suppliers are sought, with particular interest in Ohio businesses.
• Capability flexibility: Respondents need not be current suppliers, but should describe relevant existing capabilities or the potential to add or adjust production.
• Information to emphasize: Address capacity, production scaling, cost reduction, competitive manufacturing, quality and certification requirements, and supply-chain collaboration.
• Demand context: The Department of War has invested $1.1 billion in the Drone Dominance Program, targeting more than 200,000 Group 1 one-way attack sUAS by 2027.
• Acquisition status: The RFI is market research—not an RFP, solicitation, or purchase commitment—and responses do not guarantee a contract or purchase.
• Strategic opportunity: Participation can communicate supplier capabilities and inform future strategy or potential partnerships associated with the growing sUAS market.
• Hub context: The Youngstown-based Hub, managed by NCDMM, focuses on advanced and additive manufacturing and seeks to identify regional and statewide industrial-base capacity.