John Robb | Creating The Global Guerrillas Report | Patreon

Replicator “small, smart, cheap, and many”

Where is this headed? We can already see the trend in motion. The demonstrated utility of drones in Ukraine (from tactical intelligence and strikes to operational interdiction to strategic strikes) has led the US military to launch a new crash drone program called Replicator.

• Based on the experience of Ukraine they expend thousands of drones per month (up to 10,000 a month) Replicator is focused on rapidly developing and deploying new drone platforms (air, sea, land) that are inexpensive, plentiful, and expendable.
• This program is justified by the claim these new drone platforms will offset China s numerical superiority in manpower and conventional weapon systems high volumes of expendable drones in defensive swarms could be rapidly deployed to slow or halt a Chinese military offensive.
• However, if these new platforms can be developed (a big if, given the US military s love of expensive and over-engineered weapons platforms), it won t be the US that employs them. Instead, they will immediately be sent to Ukraine for live testing and, if they prove effective, to Taiwan.

via www.patreon.com

John Robb — one of the most interesting commentator-experts to be found in the new spaces opening up on Patreon, substack, etc. Downside: much of what he has to say is sack-shrivelingly scary.