The Pentagon has signed a contract worth $500 million for the supply of systems to counter unmanned aerial vehicles, the press service of the US Department of Defense announced, News.bg reports.
The contract was won by the Simi Valley, California-based company AeroVironment, which will supply commercial means to combat drones and systems to counter small unmanned aerial vehicles.
AeroVironment is one of the major subcontractors of the US defense industry and specializes in the development of both drones and technologies for their detection and neutralization.
The investment comes against the backdrop of the growing role of unmanned systems in modern conflicts. Defense against a large number of cheap drones is becoming one of the main challenges facing armies around the world.
According to publications in American media, during the conflict with Iran, the American military was forced to use highly accurate, but significantly more expensive weapons to shoot down drones, which has raised concerns about limited supplies and high costs.
Back in April, the New York Times reported, citing sources, that the Pentagon assessed the Russian and Chinese programs for the development of unmanned technologies as more advanced in some areas than the American ones.
The topic is also of direct importance for Bulgaria as a member of NATO, since the Alliance is increasingly emphasizing the development of capabilities for defense against drones.