Army secretary says US can't keep pumping money into expensive weapons that can be taken out by an $800 Russian drone

• Cheap drones person been utilized to destruct costly systems similar tanks successful the Ukraine war.

• US subject leaders are watching this inclination intimately and evaluating the menace for aboriginal conflicts.

• The Army caput said it's not worthy it to bargain costly weapons if they're susceptible to drones.

The US can't support gathering and buying costly weapons that are susceptible to drones that are produced astatine a fraction of the cost, the Army caput said.

"We support creating and purchasing these exquisite machines that precise inexpensive drones tin instrumentality out," Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said during an occurrence of the "War connected the Rocks" podcast that aired Tuesday.

"If the fig is adjacent remotely right, that Russia has manufactured 1 cardinal drones successful the past 12 months, that conscionable makes america person to rethink the outgo of what we're buying," helium continued.

"We are the wealthiest nation, possibly successful the past of the world, but adjacent we can't prolong a couple-million-dollar portion of instrumentality that tin beryllium taken retired with an $800 drone and munition," helium said.

Driscoll was responding to a question astir whether the US subject was walking distant from the Robotic Combat Vehicle. He said that portion the conception was valuable, the outgo ratio didn't work.

The US subject has been watching the warfare successful Ukraine, wherever inexpensive drones packed with explosives are damaging oregon destroying costly combat instrumentality similar tanks, different armored vehicles, aerial defenses, and adjacent warships, highlighting the vulnerability of larger and much prized weapons that are insufficiently defended.

The proliferation of inexpensive drones — immoderate of which outgo arsenic small arsenic a fewer 100 dollars — has go a increasing interest for the US subject arsenic it readies for the anticipation of a large-scale confrontation betwixt NATO and Russia successful Europe oregon a combat with China successful the Pacific.

Moscow said it produced 1.5 cardinal drones past year. A Ukrainian vessel commandant called Russian drones a large menace to his American-made M1 Abrams tank, which costs astir $10 million.

Ukraine has outfitted its Abrams tanks and different systems, including European-made tanks and American-made armored warring vehicles, with additional armor to assistance protect the costly instrumentality from drones, but it's not a cleanable solution.

Armored conveyance losses successful this warfare person been high. Ukraine, for example, has mislaid much than 4,400 armored vehicles, portion Russia has mislaid much than 12,600, according to Oryx, an open-source quality tract that tracks subject instrumentality losses connected some sides.

And drones aren't conscionable a menace to onshore assets. Ukrainian naval drones packed with explosives person wreaked havoc connected Russia's Black Sea Fleet. These drones person adjacent been upgraded to motorboat missiles. Ukraine said 1 managed to instrumentality down 2 of Russia's $50 cardinal Su-30 combatant jets implicit the weekend.

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