[DigitalToday reporter Hyunwoo Choo] The U.S. Defense Department has tasked California robotics company Machina with a $9 million project. The plan is to mass-produce low-cost LUCAS unmanned combat attack systems close to the front using a containerised robotic manufacturing system. Military media outlet The War Zone (TWZ) reported on Nov. 9 local time.

The 18-month contract is part of the Defense Department’s Organic Industrial Base Modernization Challenge. Machina must demonstrate that its containerised robot mini-factory system, called RoboCraftsman, can produce LUCAS suicide drones in deployment areas. It plans to set up two “edge factories” in the continental United States first and, over the longer term, deploy them to forward locations such as Kuwait.

One RoboCraftsman container measures 20 feet (6 metres) wide and 36 feet (11 metres) long, and weighs 120,000 pounds, about 54 tonnes, once installed. Two robot arms machine metal sheet to build the airframe. Building one airframe takes 2 to 5 days. Machina CEO Ed Mehr (에드 메르) explained, “It greatly speeds things up because there is no need for molds or roll-forming equipment.” The company expects the price of one 12-foot airframe to be $15,000 to $40,000, about 20 million to 54 million won. It is similar to the price range formed by variants of Russia’s Shahed-136 and U.S.-made copies.

Another feature is that AI changes design variables to produce 20 to 50 design options in software and uses simulations to select a design that meets requirements. Mehr said, “We can make drones tailored to Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command and Ukraine.”

Machina tested a half-size, 6-foot airframe at Edwards Air Force Base, but problems emerged in handling crosswinds. It is now retesting after moving the engine position. Large-scale deployment will be decided under a separate contract after this demonstration. The results of the contract are expected around mid-2028. Machina will not cooperate with SpektreWorks, an existing supplier of suicide drones.

The U.S. military has been pursuing forward-deployed mobile manufacturing facilities for years. A representative case is Firestorm’s mobile 3D-printing cell, xCell. Aevex’s ForgeX is said to be able to produce up to 880 units a year.

The LUCAS suicide drone is a weapon reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed-136, and its deployment was disclosed in December 2025. It was first used in combat in a large-scale operation against Iran this year.