A four-day test in the Alaska wilderness shows how far the U.S. military and American drone companies lag behind China in the technology.
According to a July 13th article by Farah Stockman in the New York Times, they are testing new drone technologies at a base in Alaska. The base was built in the pristine wilderness between 15 and 20 years ago with a great deal of opposition from the community. Today the army is testing small drones there as fast as they can acquire them.
According to the Times,
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that the country has fallen behind, and he announced a series of new policies and investments in drones that he vowed would close the gap. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that the country has fallen behind, and he announced a series of new policies and investments in drones that he vowed would close the gap.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that the country has fallen behind, and he announced a series of new policies and investments in drones that he vowed would close the gap.
Small and medium sized drones have shown their worth in battlefields in Ukraine and the Middle East. Israel has used lethal quadricopters to police the death camps in Gaza. But the United States has been focused on building and fielding Reapers and other similar large drones. Meanwhile, DJI, a Chinese company that specializes in smaller commercial drones for sport, photography and research holds 70% of the market. Due to U.S. restrictions on doing business with what it perceives as its main competitor, the U.S. military and other U.S. companies cannot do business with this company. Although DJI does not sell drones for military purposes, their dominance in the market affects U.S. drone production and markets.
About 500 companies in the U.S. produce small quantities of drones suitable for military uses, so the military will likely soon select those they wish to work with.
Read the original article here: Drones Are Key to Winning Wars Now. The U.S. Makes Hardly Any.
