Hegseth: US will overtake Russia and China in "drone war" by 2027 - Fox News
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has issued an order to simplify the procedures for the development and use of drones, allowing commanders with the rank of colonel or captain to independently purchase, test and launch small drones.
This is reported by Fox News with reference to two memoranda signed by the head of the Pentagon, Censor.NET reports.
As noted, the new rules lift the restrictions that, according to Hagseth, have hindered innovation. Now, the military has the right to use both serial drones and 3D-printed prototypes if they meet national security criteria. It is also allowed to conduct training with them without approval from bureaucratic structures, and to test autonomous non-lethal vehicles in a controlled environment.
The document notes that "small UAVs are more like munitions than high-tech aircraft," so they should be "cheap, expendable, and quickly replaceable."
Within 90 days, three new national testing sites for drones should be operational in the United States. Hughes expects the United States to become a leader in small drones by 2027, outpacing Russia and China in the so-called "drone war."
The Pentagon chief also said on the social network X that the United States will involve leading artificial intelligence experts and engineers in the development of new drones.
