Perennial Autonomy Partners With McAlester Army Ammunition Plant to Arm Next-Generation Drones

MCALESTER, Okla. – October 2, 2026 — Perennial Autonomy and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP) marked a new production partnership this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the historic Oklahoma installation. The partnership pairs MCAAP's decades of munitions expertise with Perennial Autonomy's cutting-edge drone technology, giving the next generation of unmanned platforms combat-ready payloads built by one of the Army's most experienced ordnance manufacturers.

Under the agreement, MCAAP will manufacture, load, and deliver payloads for Perennial Autonomy's drone fleet, including the Merops interceptors, Hornet mid-range strike drones, and Bumblebee quadcopters. This combines MCAAP's best-in-class explosives manufacturing capabilities with Perennial Autonomy's advanced autonomy and guidance systems, enabling its drones to carry reliable and lethal ordnance into contested environments across the world. The partnership also supports the Army Materiel Command's push to modernize the organic industrial base (OIB), adapting production lines built for traditional munitions to the demands of modern drone warfare.

"Integrating Perennial Autonomy's advanced guidance systems with MCAAP's proven ordnance manufacturing directly answers the call to modernize the OIB," said Brian Lott, MCAAP's civilian deputy. "This collaboration acts as a critical force multiplier, ensuring that next-generation drone fleets are armed with the precise, lethal and dependable capabilities required to dominate modern, high-threat environments."

For Perennial Autonomy, the partnership secures something increasingly scarce in the drone industry: a reliable domestic source of combat-ready ordnance at scale. As demand grows worldwide for the Merops, Hornet and Bumblebee platforms, a secure munitions pipeline through MCAAP means shorter delivery timelines and a resilient U.S. supply chain, both critical as production ramps up to meet warfighter demand.

Few institutions carry the standing and respect that MCAAP does, and Perennial Autonomy is proud to build alongside it. This partnership gives Perennial Autonomy a durable, domestic foundation to support partner forces for years to come.

About Perennial Autonomy

Founded in 2023, Perennial Autonomy's defensive systems blend Silicon Valley’s frontier AI and agility with combat-hardened hardware insights from Ukraine – effectively, affordably and at scale. It aims to protect the US military and its allies against modern aerial threats with responsive & battle-proven advanced technology.

Media Contact: press@perennialautonomy.com