Analysts from Air And Space Forces Magazine concluded that it was Ukraine's experience in using drones against Russian occupiers that saved the US army from strategic mistakes in creating its own unmanned systems.
Points of attention
- Ukrainian experience in using drones has become key for the US Army and the Replicator program.
- Analysts recognized the importance of quickly updating drone software, which is happening at lightning speed in Ukraine.
What is known about the Replicator program?
Experts draw attention to the fact that a year ago the US Department of Defense launched the Replicator program, writes Air And Space Forces Magazine.
At that time, the Pentagon intended to saturate its troops with unmanned aerial vehicles and means of countering enemy drones.
As Aditi Kumar, deputy director of the department's defense innovation division, explains, the first phase of this project has begun — the supply of thousands of "low-cost autonomous platforms" to the troops. It is planned to be completed in six months.
The second stage will begin in July 2025 — the supply of anti-drone systems.
What is Ukraine doing here?
Speaking about the problems of implementing the Replicator program, Kumar admitted that Ukraine's experience was very useful for the US Department of Defense.
According to her, the point is that Ukrainians are updating the software of their drones extremely quickly.
Ukraine is doing everything possible to ensure that they do not lose their effectiveness in the conditions of a dynamic battlefield.
"The experience of Ukraine was very useful for us, demonstrating that software updates should occur within three to four weeks, which is incredibly fast and cost-effective," Kumar emphasized.
She also added that the US Department of Defense allocated insufficient funding for software updates in American weapons, so the updates were not rapid.
According to him, this practice must now change.
