The U.S. Army plans to purchase one million drones within the next two to three years
U.S. Army Secretary Daniel R. McKeon said in an interview with Reuters that the U.S. Army plans to purchase at least one million drones within the next two to three years, and may purchase between 500,000 to several million drones each year thereafter.
He pointed out that significantly expanding the drone procurement plan will be a major challenge, as the largest branch of the U.S. military currently purchases about five thousand drones per year.
McKeon said during his visit to Picatinny Arsenal: "This is a challenging task, but it is completely achievable." He was there to examine the development of drone interception missiles, as well as new explosives and electromagnetic systems integrated into weapon systems.
McKeon pointed out that the U.S. Army is actively studying the lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine, where the use of drones has reached "an unprecedented scale." He emphasized that his top priority is to stimulate the production of domestic motors, sensors, batteries, and circuit boards, to establish large-scale drone production capabilities in the United States. Currently, these components are mostly produced in China.
He said: "We hope to purchase at least one million drones within the next two to three years. We must ensure that within one to two years, we can quickly deploy a reliable supply chain and produce the number of drones needed in the event of a conflict."
He also pointed out that the Pentagon intends to completely change its attitude towards drones, no longer viewing them as expensive "unique" systems, but rather as expendable munitions.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848156058624071/
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