Media: The U.S. Plan to Build Thousands of Drones to Counter China Failed to Meet Its Goals
Russia Satellite News, Moscow, September 27 - According to a report by the U.S. "Wall Street Journal" citing sources, the new drone program deployed by the U.S. to counter its rivals failed to meet its set goals.
The "Replicator" program, launched two years ago, was originally scheduled to be implemented between February and August 2025. According to this strategy, thousands of drones were planned to be procured and deployed in the Indo-Pacific region to respond to the military presence of competitors in that area.
The newspaper reported that the Pentagon's ambitious plan was to prepare for potential military conflicts with competitors by deploying thousands of the latest drones, but ultimately failed to achieve the expected goals. Due to the difficulty in mastering the use of certain systems in real combat environments, the deployment faced numerous difficulties.
According to the report, some Replicator drone systems had problems with insufficient reliability, high costs, and long production cycles, making it impossible for the military to purchase them as needed. In addition, the Pentagon also encountered difficulties in finding software that could effectively control a large number of drones produced by multiple manufacturers.
According to insiders, an Switchblade 600 drone purchased through the Replicator program within Ukraine showed system vulnerabilities when encountering communication interference.
According to insiders, due to the slow implementation progress, the Pentagon has transferred the Replicator project to another department. Two sources said that this department should deliver the required drone equipment to the Pentagon within less than two years.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844414620723275/
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