A new tranche of drones, including at least one currently being used against Russia in Ukraine, is set to join the Pentagon’s Replicator effort to expedite the deployment of cost-effective autonomous systems. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks announced this development on Wednesday.
Tranche 1.2 will comprise systems across air and maritime domains, alongside integrated software enablers aimed at enhancing the autonomy and resilience of other Replicator systems, as detailed in a statement from the Defense Department.
Included in this tranche are Anduril Industries’ Ghost-X and the Performance Drone Works C-100 UAS, as well as classified drones that offer low-cost, long-range strike capabilities and maritime uncrewed systems. Both Ghost-X and the C-100 UAS are already part of the Army’s company-level Small UAS initiative, a program partially inspired by the observations from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Army Chief Gen. Randy George remarked that “Ukraine has demonstrated the value of small, attritable drones on the battlefield.” Ukrainian forces have reportedly been utilizing Ghost-X since the early weeks of Russia’s expanded invasion in 2022.
A source knowledgeable about the topic noted that the challenges posed by advanced Russian electronic warfare (EW) have prompted Anduril to refine its techniques, which could be applicable against other high-tech adversaries, such as China. For instance, Anduril has created flying mesh networks that allow drone swarms to exchange data even amidst significant electromagnetic warfare disruptions, effectively relaying information across multiple UAS to maintain long data-chain links.
The drones’ high level of autonomy enables them to evade EW effects and interceptor missiles. A scenario was described where a drone could adapt its flight path in response to the emergence of an EW bubble, allowing it to continue its mission without having to retreat to predetermined fallback positions.
The Replicator initiative is not solely focused on drones; it emphasizes the importance of software that enhances data collection and collaboration among drones, which may be critical to the overall effort. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has been instrumental in integrating both new systems and the essential underlying software into the Replicator program to ensure seamless cooperation among various drone types.
DIU Director Doug Beck stated, “Combining cutting-edge hardware with cutting-edge software—the capabilities and needs of each pushing the bounds of what is possible with the other—is at the heart of the very best of technology in the commercial sector.” He reiterated that Replicator is leveraging this synergy to adopt commercial best practices, enabling the iterative development, testing, and eventual deployment of autonomous systems at scale.
