Ukraine may have received Bolt-M AI-equipped attack drones

Defense Express reported the information.

American defense company Anduril recently secured a $23.9 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to deliver more than 600 Bolt-M FPV drones (loitering munitions) as part of the Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program. The procurement decision came after 13 months of rigorous testing, with deliveries scheduled to run from February 2026 through April 2027.

In a detailed interview with The War Zone, Anduril's General Manager for Precision Strike Systems, Dan Leighton, provided extensive insights into the Bolt-M's development—and his comments may hold clues about the drone's presence in Ukraine. When discussing the design process, Leighton emphasized the company's consultation with military personnel across multiple theaters. "We spoke with numerous veterans here at Anduril, and many of them even operated early prototypes. We engaged soldiers, Marines, participants from other ongoing conflicts, as well as civilian FPV and drone operators in the business about what works well and what could help them in their day-to-day operations," Leighton stated.

The reference to "participants from other ongoing conflicts" has sparked speculation among defense analysts that Ukrainian forces may have contributed operational feedback during development. More significantly, Anduril revealed that beyond the 250+ drones supplied to U.S. Marines during testing phases, over 300 additional systems were shipped to an "unnamed customer."

Defense Express, a Ukrainian military analysis outlet, cautiously noted that while no official confirmation exists, Ukraine's receipt of these drones represents a plausible scenario. The assessment gains credibility considering Anduril already supplies its ALTIUS drones to Ukrainian forces under the U.S. Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), suggesting a potential expansion of the partnership to include the Bolt-M platform.

The connection deepens when considering that Anduril's Rocket Motor Systems division recently became the new supplier of solid-fuel motors for GLSDB long-range precision bombs—replacing Saab's previous partner by offering cheaper production and faster delivery timelines for systems destined for Ukraine.

First unveiled in fall 2024, the Bolt-M features machine vision capabilities and impressive operational parameters: a range exceeding 20 kilometers, flight endurance up to 40 minutes, and a rapid five-minute deployment time from unpacking to launch.