Is US replicating what China’s been doing for a decade with drone plan?
- A Pentagon initiative will see thousands of uncrewed ships, aircraft and autonomous systems built in the next two years
- Deputy defence secretary says it aims to deter aggression from Beijing and help overcome PLA’s ‘biggest advantage’ – mass
Analysts say it is similar to what China has been doing in the past decade.
Jon Grevatt, head of Asia-Pacific news at defence intelligence firm Janes, said large numbers of unmanned systems had been built in China quickly, easily and cheaply by leveraging the power of an integrated military-commercial sector.
“I would say that the Replicator initiative is actually kind of replicating some of what China has been doing for the last 10 years,” he said.
Unveiling the initiative on Monday, Kathleen Hicks, the deputy defence secretary, said the systems would be fielded in the next two years and were aimed at deterring aggression from Beijing. They would also be “attritable” – referring to attrition warfare that aims to wear down the enemy while maintaining combat power, even when sustaining losses.
“Replicator is meant to help us overcome [China’s] biggest advantage, which is mass,” she told a conference in Washington hosted by the National Defence Industrial Association. “More ships. More missiles. More people.”