Breaking Defense reports, “The Army is planning a massive overhaul on how it acquires unmanned aerial systems, setting the ambitious goal of buying one million drones over the next two to three years, an Army spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense. Reuters first reported on the drone buy, which could lead to the Army buying half a million to millions of drones annually after the initial acquisition. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told the outlet in an interview: “It is a big lift. But it is a lift we’re very capable of doing.”
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Tag: US Army
US Army Apache Helicopters Show Counter-UAS Capabilities
Aerotime reports the US Army demonstrated the AH-64E Apache’s ability to detect, track, and defeat drone threats, underscoring its value as a mobile counter-UAS platform. “The tests, conducted with the South Carolina Army National Guard, involved the Army’s Program Manager Apache, Program Manager Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions, and the team responsible for the helicopter’s 30mm proximity-fused ammunition.”
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Hegseth Orders Military to Increase Use of Small Drones in New Memo
Breaking Defense reports, “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is directing every US Army squad to be armed with small, one-way attack drones by the end of fiscal 2026, while also enabling troops to modify small drones as necessary in the field.”
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U.S. Army Launches ‘Major Overhaul’ of its Flight School Following Deadly Crashes
Defense News reports, “In the wake of a string of deadly military aviation accidents over the past several years, the U.S. Army is launching a major overhaul of how it trains new pilots that focuses on getting back to the basics. The overhaul includes rethinking the type of aircraft used for training, along with a likely shift to a contractor-owned-and-operated schoolhouse.”
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U.S. Army to Substantially Increase Its Use of Drones
The Wall Street Journal reports, “The U.S. Army is embarking on its largest overhaul since the end of the Cold War, with plans to equip each of its combat divisions with around 1,000 drones and to shed outmoded weapons and other equipment. The plan, the product of more than a year of experimentation at this huge training range in Bavaria and other U.S. bases, draws heavily on lessons from the war in Ukraine, where small unmanned aircraft used in large numbers have transformed the battlefield.”
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US Army Begins 3D Printing Swarms of Small Aerial Drones
Breaking Defense reports, “The US Army has begun 3D printing swarms of small aerial drones for soldiers to train against, in anticipation of a decision on how to proceed with an initiative to cheaply and quickly mass produce drones, according to two senior Army leaders.”
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Boeing Selected to Deliver Five More MH-47G Block II Chinooks
Defense Daily reports, “Boeing [BA] has received a $240 million contract covering delivery of five MH-47G Block II Chinook heavy-lift aircraft for U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC), the company said on Thursday. Deliveries of the remanufactured MH-47G Block II…”
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US Army Purchases Long-Endurance Solar Drones to Monitor Pacific Operations
Defense News reports, “The Army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force has used a small number of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000 Ultra Long-Endurance, solar-powered unmanned aircraft system across the Pacific theater in places like the Philippines and Guam in recent years. Now the Pentagon has ordered $20 million worth of the systems for the unit as well as special operators.”
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Army Revamping Air Crew Training With Focus on Aircraft and Simulators
Defense News reports, “After several fatal Army aircraft crashes and the arrival of a more complicated airspace in the future, the service is reviewing and updating how it trains its pilots and its warrant officers in particular. Those changes will likely include a look at the types of helicopters soldiers are training with, simulator time and effectiveness, new rotor blades and tail rotor drive systems for the Apache and warrant officers sticking to their technical tasks for longer in the careers.”
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U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Tiltrotor Shifts to Next Development Phase
Defense News reports, “The U.S. Army’s future long-range aircraft is moving out of technology development and into the critical engineering and manufacturing development phase, the service announced Friday. The Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program, or FLRAA, is estimated to be worth approximately $70 billion across its lifespan, including foreign military sales, and is set to replace roughly 2,000 Black Hawk utility helicopters.”
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