U.S. plans to procure one million drones, drawing on experience from Ukraine–Russia war – Reuters
Drone Industry
The U.S. Army plans to purchase at least 1 million drones over the next two to three years as part of a major procurement program and potential confrontation with China.
U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll told Reuters, Censor.NET reports.
Drawing on Ukraine’s experience
At present, some U.S. Army units receive only about 50,000 UAVs per year.
According to him, the United States is taking lessons from Russia’s war against Ukraine, marked by the unprecedented scale of drone use.
Driscoll said Ukraine and Russia may be producing up to 4 million drones annually, while the United States believes China produces roughly twice that number.
Strengthening U.S. defenses
Driscoll said his priority is to reach a point where the United States can produce enough drones for any future war by boosting domestic production of everything from brushless motors and sensors to batteries and printed circuit boards.
"We expect that in one to two years we will know that, at the moment of a conflict, we can activate a supply chain robust and deep enough to ramp up production of as many drones as we need," he said.
The U.S. Army secretary said the military needs to change its mindset about drones. They are currently seen as "high-end" equipment but should be treated as expendable munitions.
