The Replicator program, which aims to strengthen the US military presence in the western Pacific Ocean with autonomous combat drones, is "alive and well" and remains one of the key areas of the Pentagon under the new administration. Bloomberg reports this, UNN writes.
Details
According to Vice Admiral Blake Converse, Deputy Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, the initiative is "alive and well," and the Navy is working with the Indo-Pacific Command on developing a concept for the use of drones. The goal of the program is to weaken China's military presence in the region through innovative, less costly solutions, including autonomous systems.
Despite statements by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about the intention to revise costly defense programs such as the F-35, Replicator, launched under Joe Biden, is currently in line with their course — supporting effective and more affordable projects with the participation of technology companies.
"They like it," said Vice Admiral Brad Skillman, Deputy Chief Financial Officer of the US Navy, in a brief interview when asked about the current administration's initial view of Replicator. "These are robotic, autonomous systems - different management, but they all think: "you need more things", - he said.
The Replicator project, announced in August 2023, envisages the deployment of thousands of combat drones in the Pacific Ocean for attacks and surveillance by August.
Currently, the US Navy is working on logistics, storage, maintenance and effective combat use of these systems.
According to Skillman, the relevance of Replicator is underscored by the widespread use of drones by both sides in the Russian war in Ukraine and by the Houthis, who are attacking ships in the Red Sea, as well as during US attacks on militants in Yemen.
Let's add
Among the Replicator systems selected and disclosed so far are the Switchblade 600 anti-tank system from AeroVironment, the Ghost-X reconnaissance and strike drone from Anduril Industries, and the C-100 from Performance Drone Works. The Pentagon has also selected seven companies to provide software support for autonomy and management and control of Replicator, but has not disclosed them.