US Army to Buy One Million Drones for Future Wars

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll has announced that the country's army has an extensive plan to purchase and produce drones and plans to purchase at least one million drones in the next two to three years. He also said that in the following years, the US army may purchase from half a million to several million drones annually.

 

Driscoll emphasized in an interview with Reuters during a visit to the Picatinny Weapons Center in New Jersey that the US army has learned from the experience of the Russia-Ukraine war and has realized the importance of small and inexpensive drones on the battlefield. The U.S. military currently buys only about 50,000 drones a year, he said, but that number needs to increase significantly.

 

Ukraine and Russia each produce about 4 million drones a year, he said, and China has the capacity to produce more than twice that. Driscoll added that the United States needs to reach a level where it can produce enough drones for any potential war while also boosting domestic production of key components such as brushless motors, sensors, batteries and electronic boards, which are now mostly produced by China.

 

He also said the U.S. military needs to change its attitude toward drones and see them as consumable munitions, not expensive, specialized equipment. “Drones will play a central role in future wars, and we need to increase both our offensive capabilities and our defensive capabilities against enemy drones,” Driscoll stressed.