Uncrewed systems advocacy group AUVSI has published a report summarizing how much the U.S. Department of Defense will spend on drones in 2023, according to the 2023 Presidential Budget. (The full report can be downloaded by AUVSI members: a summary is available for non-members.)
In a summary, AUVSI reports that the Department of Defense plans to invest more than $2.6 billion in unmanned systems, with at least 29 programs “fully dedicated to the procurement of UAS.”
The DoD will spend more on aerial drones than in any other category: but still expects to invest heavily in research and development for uncrewed ground and marine systems, as well as a significant investment in Counter-UAS.
The report says that the top 5 spending programs are:
- U.S. Navy, MQ 25
- U.S. Navy, MQ 4 Triton
- Aerial Targets
- Unmanned Carrier Mission Control Station
- Target Drones
The Army has requested $326 million for Counter UAS procurement. C-UAS is another product category with significant potential for enterprise and civil applications.
The U.S. Department of Defense spend on drones is significant to the commercial industry: research tends to indicate that the military market is still a major market driver when compared to the growth and scale of purely commercial applications. While MQ 25s or MQ 4 Tritons will never be commercial products, military R&D spending on smaller uncrewed systems has frequently resulted in the development of dual-use systems found throughout the enterprise drone market.
Read more:
- AUVSI Launches Drone Prepared: Is Your State Ready for Drones?
- AUVSI Works with DIU on Trusted Cyber; Program: Cybersecurity Certification for Commercial Drones
- Drone Industry Advocacy: AUVSI Expands Department
- AFWERX: How the Air Force and DoD are Supporting Innovation in the Drone Industry and Vice Versa
- Liteye Wins DoD Contract: $12.1 Million for Counter Drone and Ground Surveillance Systems
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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