Pentagon officials are seeking to build America’s arsenal of cheap, disposable drones, similar to those used in the war in Ukraine. They are looking for systems with mass-production potential and released a solicitation through the Defense Innovation Unit for one-way, uncrewed aerial systems that can fly at ranges of 50 to 300 kilometers in low-bandwidth, GPS-denied environments. DIU plans to evaluate proposed systems in a live flyoff demonstration as soon as December.
Recent conflicts have shown the impact low-cost, one-way unmanned aerial systems can have on the modern battlefield. Small, one-way attack drones have been used in conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the Pentagon would focus their Replicator effort on countering drone threats and wants to stock up on its own supply of reliable, affordable, and adaptable long-range UAS platforms.
The drones the department is seeking could perform attack missions but are also of interest for electronic warfare, ISR, and communications relay payloads. The vehicles should be hard to detect and track, have two-way communications, and be equipped with mission planning software. The department wants modular systems that can integrate new hardware or software quickly.
The notice does not specify the number of systems to be purchased or set a cost target. DIU selections will be based on the cost of the effect the platform achieves, focusing on a cost per effect model rather than the cost of individual drones.
