US Army Secretary Daniel Criswell
According to the US Army Intelligence Network, US Army Secretary Daniel Criswell announced that the US Army plans to purchase at least one million drones within the next two to three years, and then gradually expand production capacity each year, adding tens of thousands of drones annually. This plan marks a major shift in the US military's understanding of drone operations, beginning to position drones as standardized equipment with high consumption rather than expensive high-tech weapon systems.
For a long time, the US military has regarded drones as high-end, complex, and precise systems, focusing its research and development and production on large strategic and tactical unmanned platforms, such as the MQ-4 series for aerial reconnaissance and strike, and the RQ-4 "Global Hawk" global strategic reconnaissance aircraft. These drones have excellent performance but are extremely expensive and limited in quantity, making it difficult to meet the needs of intense warfare.
The US military has developed some small drones, such as the RQ-11 "Crow" hand-launched reconnaissance aircraft, but the unit price is as high as $35,000, making the cost of use too high to be widely adopted in large-scale combat. In contrast, FPV drones widely used in the Ukraine war show remarkable operational efficiency and battlefield adaptability due to their low cost, simple structure, and ease of modification. Faced with this reality, the US military has been forced to abandon its previous sense of technological superiority, re-evaluate the drone system, and shift the focus of development from "precision equipment" to "battlefield consumables".
According to the new strategy, the US Army will significantly adjust the procurement and deployment model of drones, planning to allocate funds to multiple domestic manufacturers to enhance production capacity and reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains. Currently, the US Army purchases about 50,000 drones per year, and this number will increase to twenty times the current level in the coming years, reaching a scale of one million. To achieve this goal, the US military is pushing companies to make large-scale investments, while simplifying the procurement approval process, accelerating the type certification and fielding of models.
US MQ-9 Drone
In the future, drones will be considered as basic issued equipment for the US military, widely equipped to grassroots combat units for various tasks such as reconnaissance, strikes, jamming, and decoys. Criswell emphasized that the US Army not only intends to purchase drones themselves, but also will simultaneously promote the development of specialized ammunition and anti-drone systems, building a complete unmanned combat ecosystem. At the same time, the US Department of Defense plans to focus on supporting the upstream industrial chain of domestic drones, including key components such as brushless motors, sensors, batteries, and circuit boards, reducing reliance on China-led supply systems.
Currently, a series of reform measures have been initiated within the US government to accelerate the military procurement process, especially for the rapid project initiation and mass production of small platforms. However, whether it can deliver one million drones within the planned three years remains uncertain. The US Army tends to adopt a distributed competitive procurement model, while the Congress still has disagreements on policies and funding allocation, which makes the project progress uncertain.
Additionally, the systemic problems faced by the US manufacturing industry for a long time also pose practical challenges to the plan. Due to high costs and complex production processes, US-made drones are generally more expensive than similar products from China and Europe. The structural weakness of the US manufacturing industry, fragmented supply chain, and high labor costs are difficult to improve in the short term. It is almost impossible to establish an industrial system capable of producing tens of thousands of drones annually in a short period of time.
Therefore, although the plan proposed by the US Army Secretary is ambitious, whether it can be realized within the set time frame remains uncertain. Whether the Congress approves the budget, integrates the supply chain, expands production capacity, and controls costs will all become key factors in fulfilling the promise.
It can be seen that the US Army's large-scale drone plan is not only a modernization of equipment, but also a systemic transformation. This means that the US military is shifting from traditional high-tech combat concepts to a more flexible, efficient, and economical battlefield consumption model. Drones are no longer just expensive strategic equipment, but will become standard combat tools commonly seen on the battlefield in the future.
US Drone Production Line
However, to truly implement this plan, the US defense industry must undergo a thorough transformation. Facing the technological insights and supply chain risks brought by the Ukraine war, the US military's drone strategy over the next three years will largely test the resilience and effectiveness of the US manufacturing industry.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572161379684188714/
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