The Pentagon has announced an 18-month “Drone Dominance” competition among startups and small companies to purchase small strike UAVs, aiming to bridge a gap in the US military arsenal.
elchi reports that this was stated by “The Washington Post” (WP) newspaper.
According to the publication, defense contracts worth $1.1 billion will be signed with the winning company, which, as the military department hopes, will allow for the purchase of approximately 300,000 small UAVs. Among the leaders of this competition are Britain’s “Skycutter” and the American company “Neros,” founded by 23-year-old former world drone racing champion Soren Monroe-Anderson.
The publication notes that the diversity of participants is part of the Pentagon’s plan to expand traditional arms procurement channels. The US administration is increasingly turning to private entrepreneurs for the development of new types of military equipment and is ready to invest in the most promising products, avoiding inflated contracts that traditionally favored a few major players.
Travis Metz, deputy head of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, said he was “very optimistic” about finding new contractors. In this case, “there is no need for the ministry to fund research and development (R&D),” Metz noted.
According to WP, the US military budget draft for 2027 provides for the allocation of $54.6 billion for the funding of a significantly expanded unit for conducting combat operations with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
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