Half the drones in a recent US Army combat exercise were designed to be expendable
The US Army is increasingly incorporating low-cost, expendable drones into its combat training exercises. These systems are treated like ammunition, allowing soldiers to deploy them in large volumes without the concern of replacement costs.
Why it matters
This shift reflects a broader military strategy influenced by the war in Ukraine, prioritizing mass-produced, disposable technology over expensive, specialized hardware.
The war in Ukraine has shown the value of soldiers having a lot of drones they can expend without worrying about replacing them. US Army photo by Staff Sgt. Trevin Rund US Army soldiers used about 2,000 attack drones in a recent exercise. Half of those systems were designed to be consumable and used like ammunition. Army officials and leaders have said small, low-cost drones are more useful in larger volumes. The US Army brought thousands of drones to a recent combat exercise, and roughly half were designed to be expendable. Soldiers could use and lose the drones in the fight, treating them like ammunition. The Army's shift toward using low-cost drones has relied on amassing enough systems to make them expendable.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in