$54 billion for drones

A massive US military budget request of $1,5 trillion in the next fiscal year is being described by Pentagon officials as the largest investment in drone warfare and counter-drone technology in US history.

Proposed spending on drone and autonomous warfare technologies under the fiscal year 2027 budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Defense would exceed the defense budgets of most countries and rank among the top 10 in the world in military spending, ahead of countries such as Ukraine, South Korea and Israel.

See more articles from iGuRu.gr when you search for news on Google.

iGuRu.gr preferred source

Specifically, the Pentagon is requesting $53,6 billion to boost the production and procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) in the US, train drone operators, build a logistics network to maintain drones, and expand counter-drone systems to defend more US military installations.

Another $20,6 billion will help buy single-pilot drones and drones developed through the US Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, which builds prototype unmanned aircraft capable of working with human-operated fighter jets.

Some of that funding will also go to defense systems to counter small drones and the U.S. Navy’s Boeing MQ-25 drone, which is designed to refuel carrier-borne fighter jets in the air to extend their strike range. Such drone-related spending rivals even the entire U.S. Marine Corps budget.

Pentagon officials stressed that most of the money would go toward procuring unmanned aircraft and autonomous warfare technologies that already exist and are largely separate from additional funding that would boost U.S. domestic manufacturing capacity to build such weapons systems.

newsbot

Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.