In order to rapidly advance automatic systems and stop China’s military development in the Indo-Pacific, the US is accelerating its Replicator effort by integrating suicide drones as part of the task.
Many media outlets reported this month that the US Pentagon had confirmed that its Replicator program, which aims to quickly add automatic systems to the US military, includes AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600 drone.
Replicator, a plan released by US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks in August 2023, aims to build hundreds of unmanned aerial and surface cars within two decades to bolster US military presence in the Indo-Pacific and stop China’s military development.
Numerous drones and autonomous systems from a mix of traditional and modern defense contractors are included in the second set of technologies under Replicator, with many details not being made public for safety reasons.
Significantly sized is the Switchblade 600, which has proven its value in Ukraine by successfully engaging armoured vehicles at distances greater than 38 meters.
The Pentagon’s plan is to quickly solve functional needs using commercial technology, which is supported by a budget of about US$ 500 million for this fiscal year and an additional request that will match this quantity for the following fiscal year.
Through the Production-Ready Inexpensive Maritime Expeditionary ( PRIME) program, the program also aims to diversify its maritime helicopter merchant base, indicating a strong push to incorporate commercial innovations into protection operations.
In order to maintain proper superiority and agility in the face of changing near-peer threats, this action emphasizes the rapid advancement and deployment of technologically advanced automatic systems.
In September 2023, Asia Times reported that the US Department of Defense ( DOD ) launched Replicator as a strategic response to China’s military advancements, focusing on a potential conflict over Taiwan and an 18 to 24- month timeline for deployment.
Replicator is a project that the Pentagon’s Defence Innovation Unit ( DIU) is working with technology companies to quickly create low-cost autonomous drones. Replicator is now a reality thanks to recent advances in AI and fabric sites.
Replicator drones are envisioned to operate independently and in tight speed settings, bringing military advantage deployment faster and more easily than ever.
In terms of operations, Replicator is expected to patrol coastal areas, launch aircraft swarming attacks, and destroy enemy drones, according to Kris Osborne’s article in Warrior Maven this month.
According to Osborne, the Pentagon has termed Replicator’s military parts” All- Domain- Related- Freedom” ( ADA2 ). This idea aims to promote the implementation of low-cost, co-ordinated autonomous methods across a range of industries while ensuring the delivery of missions at a high-speed and with ease.
He notes that to make an “attritable” aircraft force, engineers are developing little, low- cost drones that can be lost with much impact. Resiliency is another factor, as many drones can transmit data even when some are damaged or disabled, keeping the mission going.
Osborne points out that using multiple networks to support the same location with various security techniques is effective at tracking and capturing enemies.
As stated by Hicks, Replicator encompasses different US drone jobs away from Switchblade. Based on the success of operations in conflict-stricken areas like the Ukraine conflict, the Pentagon is looking for low-cost autonomous aircraft boat designs to enhance sea capabilities, according to Asia Times ‘ report from February 2024.
The Pentagon is looking for ideas for the PRIME Small Unmanned Surface Vehicle ( SUSV ) project, which aims to build low-cost, highly autonomous unmanned boats capable of pursuing and attacking non-cooperative ships.
The designs may be able to traveling between 500 and 1, 000 coastal miles, carry 450 kilograms of load and manage freely, even in GPS- denied environments.
By accepting various modular payloads and working with proximate drones, the PRIME project also aims to increase the capabilities of international allies and partners, with an emphasis on potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
Despite the push for Replicator to get up to speed, it faces numerous challenges including bureaucracy, cultural barriers, a weak US drone production base and China’s advancements in drone technology.
Noah Robertson points out that Replicator is faced with the bureaucratic “valley of death” in a Defense News article from December 2023 when the Pentagon actually approves an idea.
Robertson also inquires about whether Replicator can overcome its internal bureaucratic and cultural barriers in the US military, such as the US military’s reliance on large, conventional projects rather than fully adopting unmanned systems. Such challenges, he says, make US military circles view Replicator with more caution than optimism.
Unshin Lee Harpley mentions in an October 2023 Air and Space Forces Magazine article that Replicator’s main obstacle is integrating unmanned systems to communicate, manage and operate together. Additionally, according to Hardy, Replicator can use limited resources without getting additional money from other projects.
Replicator’s expansion of US drone production is also difficult. Joshua Keating claims in a March 2024 Vox article that while Replicator is attempting to modernize the outdated Pentagon’s acquisition and development processes, it typically takes the US 16 years to implement a new idea. China takes fewer than seven years to operationalize a new concept, he writes.
Keating also makes note of the fact that China dominates the market for dual-use commercial drones, leaving the US drone industry behind. He notes, for instance, that Ukraine is buying 60 % of Shenzhen- based DJI’s output of Mavic quadcopter drones.
China is also utilizing Replicator’s expendable swarming drone technology advancements. For instance, in March 2024, Asia Times reported that Chinese scientists developed a new military drone that can fly quickly, acting as a tactical show of force against potential adversaries.
These drones have a maple seed-like one-blade rotor design. They can fly, communicate with each other, and perform different roles such as commanding, surveying, tracking and attacking to complete a mission.
These drones can be positioned in a missile and transformed into intelligent bomblets capable of autonomously searching and destroying targets if they are properly equipped. They can be combined with the extended range of missiles, first-person view ( FPV ) drones, and the precision of AI.