US will spend 1 billion dollars to create drones for war with China

The Replicator program for creating swarms of drones has not yet been deployed, but the preparation is already underway. Pentagon representatives estimated the cost of the Replicator - the programs for the deployment of thousands of drones by August 2025 to counteract China. Informing journalists about a new budget request, Deputy Defense Minister Kathleen Gicks said the initiative will cost $ 1 billion, Defense News writes.

The purpose of the program is to create inexpensive drones with large circulation. Devices, by design, will have to be used autonomously, in swarms, paired with fighters. During the briefing, GIKS emphasized that the first round of the program is intended to help military services to introduce innovations faster and more. "I am convinced that the continuation of this project is a considerable investment potential not related to the Replicator," she said.

Pentagon representative Mike McCard told how the department could get $ 1 billion. There are two options. First, Congress could include the first $ 500 million in its Pentagon budget for the 2024 financial year, which has long been postponed. Secondly, according to McCord, you can make a reprogramming request so that the defense committees can redistribute money in their budget. In the 2025 financial year, $ 500 million on the Replicator has already been put into the budget.

The counter-Admiral Ben Reynolds, which is in charge of the Navy budget issues, has repeatedly told reporters that the request included the financing of the Replicator projects. The army at a separate briefing did not comment on its share in the program. But the Air Force representative confirmed that the service would not spend money next financial year.

Meanwhile, the slides of the total budget of the Pentagon say: "Replicator does not have a specific financing line", although "the budget for the 2025 financial year includes resources to increase the number of investments in the Replicator". Such ambiguity about the program is explained by the fact that the Pentagon does not want to find out in China how the program to create drones is funded at what stage it is and so on.

Some congressmen and defense industry representatives have criticized this ambiguity, saying that Replicator is just a good idea with ambitious goals. "We tend to disclose the details until we are sure that the program will be launched from the approval of the Deputy Secretary of State," McCard said. Earlier, we reported that China's hypersonic drone exceeded the US F-22 fighter by important indicators.