Drone company wins Pentagon contract, Trump Jr. among shareholders

Unusual Machines, a little-known drone company based in Florida and in which Donald Trump Jr. holds a stake reportedly worth $4 million, has won its largest ever contract with the Pentagon, the Financial Times reports. The company said it had won a contract from the US military to produce 3,500 drone engines, as well as various other spare parts. The company added that the military has indicated it intends to order another 20,000 parts from Unusual Machines next year. Allan Evans, the company's CEO, said he believed it was the largest order for Unusual Machines parts from the US government to date, but declined to disclose the value of the contract.

Unusual Machines hired Trump Jr. as an advisor in November 2024. Earlier this year, the Financial Times discovered that the company's share price had nearly tripled in the weeks leading up to the announcement of Trump Jr.'s entrance. Shortly thereafter, Unusual Machines revealed that the president's son owned 331,580 shares, which are currently worth about $4 million. Trump Jr. is not, however, required to disclose whether he has sold any of his stake, but Evans told Bloomberg that the president's son has continued to invest in recent fundraising rounds.

In response to questions about the Pentagon contract, Evans told the Ft that Donald Jr. "did not advise or do anything else for this deal." "Don has never communicated with anyone in the administration on behalf of Unusual Machines or about the contract in question," a spokesman for Trump Jr. said. "His advisory role with them has nothing to do with interacting with the government." The contract, announced last week, comes after President Donald Trump in June signed a presidential decree aimed at boosting the US's nascent drone industry for commercial and military use.