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Camera drones developed by the Pentagon are more expensive and less capable than those made in China that they had to replace, according to an internal note from the US government seen by the Financial Times.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, which heads the U.S. government’s largest unmanned civilian fleet, warns that so-called “blue drones” are not good enough to carry out vital tasks. conservation.
The Pentagon spent more than $ 13 million on developing drones that government agencies could use instead of those manufactured or assembled in China. But the complaint about its cost and effectiveness illustrates the difficulties the United States has had in trying to squander Chinese technology without obvious American alternatives.
The note, written by staff in January for the Biden administration, reads: “Only have the ‘Blue UAS [unmanned aerial systems]approved, reduces DoI sensor capabilities by 95%. . . Aircraft are designed for a very specific DoD [Department of Defense] the mission is defined and will only meet about 20% of the requirements of the DoI mission “.
He goes on to warn that at an average cost of $ 2,100, drones cost between eight and 14 times more than the plane the department was able to purchase earlier.
In 2019, the Trump administration on the ground all of the 810 drones in the department because they contained Chinese parts.
The move was part of a broader push to limit U.S. exposure to sensitive technology, including 5G equipment manufactured by Chinese company Huawei, for fear that Beijing might use the hardware to spy.
Since the 2019 order, departmental officials have been able to resume drone flights to carry out controlled burns to prevent forest fires, but have not been able to buy any new aircraft or launch flights for other tasks such as monitoring wildlife. wild.
Members of Congress, meanwhile, are debating measures that would prevent federal money from being used to buy drones manufactured or assembled in China.
The Pentagon has spent several years and millions of dollars working with private companies to develop five drones that it says can be used safely by government agencies.
But according to a Report of the Department of Defense last year, at least four of them still contain a significant number of Chinese parts, including circuit boards.
A government official said the Biden administration is conducting a review of its entire civilian drone fleet to find out which planes are safe to fly, but so far has not overturned the land order of the era. Trump.
The home department declined to comment.
Andrew Musto, deputy director of the Defense Innovation Unit, the arm of the Pentagon that helped develop the drones, said: “These systems. . . they have inherited some DoD-focused functions that have associated cost implications. IUD recognizes that these five systems are only a first step toward the rapid adoption of commercial UAS technology in government. “
He added that the DoD was trying to reduce costs and improve the capabilities of the drones it had helped develop to meet the needs of other departments.
While officials are debating the safety of flying existing drones in government, the internal DoI note warned that no mandatory conservation work is being carried out by law.
“The current situation makes it nearly impossible for the department to comply with legislation such as the John D Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act,” he says. Among other things, this act requires the mapping and conservation of large tracts of public land.
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