Security
Report: US supplied CENTCOM with thousands of unmanned systems
According to a Mako report citing the US Defense Department, delivery of more than 25,000 unmanned and counter-drone systems to CENTCOM forces has been completed, at a cost of about $782 million.
· Photo: ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images; CENTCOM, illustrative collage
The report describes more than 24,000 counter-drone systems, alongside over 1,300 one-way attack aircraft and more than 100 unmanned surface and underwater vessels. The systems are intended for US Central Command forces responsible for the Middle East.
According to the statements attributed to the Pentagon, the initiative aims to shorten procurement processes and provide forces with relatively inexpensive equipment in large quantities. It is not an announcement of a decision to launch a new operation in Iran.
The report also describes plans for an autonomous warfare command to become fully operational by October 2027. This is a future target, not a command that has begun operating now. The figures are based on the report; the original US announcement was not independently read during this review.
Source: N12
