ByASSAF GILEAD/GLOBES/TNSAPRIL 16, 2026 10:45Updated: APRIL 16, 2026 16:31IDF Ground Forces and the Ministry of Defense Procurement Directorate are seeking to equip the army with Israeli-made assault drones, as part of the developing drone war against Hamas and Hezbollah. In southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has been making increased use of drones in recent weeks. Just yesterday, an IDF spokesman revealed that Egoz unit forces had killed a Hezbollah terrorist using an assault drone, apparently a Bat-type drone manufactured by Israeli company Xtend.Last year, Xtend won a Ministry of Defense tender to manufacture and supply 5,000 low-cost assault drones. The tender drew widespread criticism in the industry because it required bids offering drones with a low-profitability specification, which also included a component from China — a video transmitter manufactured by a Hong Kong company.The new tender includes a requirement to purchase 12,000 first-person-view (FPV) assault drones that can be manually piloted by wearing virtual reality goggles and a joystick and are equipped with special features such as night vision cameras. The cost of each such drone could range from NIS 20,000 to 25,000, a significant increase in price compared with the drones ordered by the army in the previous tender, which was estimated at NIS 3,500 per unit.The total cost of the tender could therefore reach NIS 30 million, well up from the previous tender. In addition, the new specification does not require companies to use electronic components from China and guarantees a more Western supply chain. This after criticism leveled at the army that the influx of drones and components from China could harm data security in the campaign. Even today, a significant portion of the army's surveillance and intelligence drones come from Chinese models, including from DJI and Autel.Israeli drone startup XTEND has secured a multi-million-dollar contract from the US Department of Defense to develop and deliver AI-enabled, modular, one-way attack drones designed for close-quarter combat. (credit: XTEND)Mass and cheap domestic productionIn contrast to the high price the IDF will pay for drones, Hezbollah's FPV drones are produced cheaply by the terrorists in domestic production, using assembly plans transferred to them from the Russian army, according to estimates from US research institute FDD. These are tiny drones that cost hundreds of dollars per unit, usually between $400 and $500. They include four bladed engines assembled on parts that can be printed on a 3D printer, or purchased without export restrictions from sites like AliExpress and Amazon.The number of drones in the IDF's new military tender is relatively low, and the specifications are high, but experts estimate that drone warfare in various arenas around the world will only increase, and will become similar to what is happening in Ukraine, where in a strip of about 30 kilometers, soldiers and armored vehicles have difficulty maneuver