In 2019 the US Department of Defense spent roughly USD$900 million on C-UAS solutions ranging from lasers to integrated systems, according to the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IADG – https://www.idga.org/) in a report The DoD’s Counter UAS Strategy.
“Though the DoD only requested USD500 million in C-UAS funding for FY20, that by no means the C-UAS is any less of a priority. Instead, it looks like the military may be integrating C-UAS into broader programs and focusing on modifying existing air defense solutions… In addition, there are signs that the DoD is rethinking their overall C-UAS strategy. For example, the DoD recently announced that they’re adopting a new approach to C-UAS acquisitions. As Kevin Fahey, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition explained to the audience at Defense One’s 2019 Summit, especially when it comes to counter UAS solutions, they’re trying to steer away from the habit of developing new technologies and training requirements at the same time. Instead, they’re looking to develop a standard processes around acquisition that include a near-annual evaluation of emerging technology available so “everyone can see the same stuff as we develop a common architecture on how we do UAS.
“While 2019 was all about acquiring and testing out the first generation of C-UAS, FY20 will be all about synchronizing counter-drone initiatives across the DoD and interoperability. Furthermore, though many of the existing solutions represent huge technological advancements from where we were just 5 years ago and show a tremendous amount of potential, the technology has not quite caught up with the need and a “silver bullet” solution to the small drone problem remains elusive. However, below we’ve outlined the top C-UAS solutions the DoD is exploring for both immediate and future deployment.”
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