Is the Pentagon’s demand signal for drones working? It depends on who you ask.

WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon rushes to ramp up aerial drone production, industry and military officials tell Breaking Defense they are divided over whether the department’s approach can generate the sustained demand needed to build a lasting domestic drone industry. “There’s a lot of positive signaling, but we need to see the whites of the eyes: We need to see sustained, normalized demand,” James Slider, CEO of Performance Drone Works, recently told Breaking Defense. “So what does that look like?” Slider added. “If you win an award and then you’re providing 1,000 drones a month for a year, that’s a…