US Department of Defense Begins Round 2 of the Replicator Drone Program
© AeroVironment
In 2021, Kathleen Hicks became the first Senate-confirmed woman to be appointed as the deputy secretary of defense for the United States Department of Defense (DOD). As the highest-ranking woman to ever serve at the DOD, Hicks has initiated several programs to expedite the technology adoption timelines for defense capabilities. On August 23, 2023, Hicks announced the DOD’s Replicator program, an initiative aimed at rapidly and cost-effectively developing autonomous defensive technologies in response to China’s advancing capabilities in this field.
On May 6, 2023, Hicks confirmed that the DOD was ready to begin the first stage of the Replicator program after securing $500 million for the 2024 fiscal year. In a press release, the DOD stated that the department would seek to secure the same amount of funding for the 2025 fiscal year. The release went on to say, “The first tranche of Replicator capabilities include uncrewed surface vehicles (USV), uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), and counter-uncrewed aerial systems (c-UAS) of various sizes and payloads from several traditional and non-traditional vendors.”
The first purchase under this initiative included the Switchblade 600 drone. Developed by AeroVironment, a defensive unmanned aerial vehicle contractor based in Simi Valley, CA, the Switchblade 600 is small enough for a soldier to carry in a backpack, making it an ideal defensive tool. As stated on AeroVironment’s website: ” As an all-in-one, man-portable solution, Switchblade 600 includes everything required to successfully plan and execute missions and can be set up and operational in less than 10 minutes.
Equipped with class-leading, high-resolution EO/IR gimbaled sensors and advanced precision flight control, Switchblade 600 empowers the warfighter with quick and easy deployment via tube-launch, and the capability to fly, track and engage non-line-of-sight targets and armored vehicles with precision lethal effects without the need for external ISR or fires assets.”
On November 13, 2024, Hicks announced the second round of the program, Replicator 1.2, which includes the purchase of additional drone technology. This new tranche includes the Ghost X from Anduril Industries and the C-100 UAS from Performance Drone Works. Anduril, headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, is a private developer of autonomous defense technologies. The Ghost X drone is notable for its stealth capabilities, particularly its uniquely quiet acoustic signature, which makes it difficult to detect. As explained by Anduril, the Ghost X is a modular drone designed for “reconnaissance and security, targeting, and force protection missions.”
Meanwhile, Performance Drone Works, based in Huntsville, AL, was founded in 2019 with a focus on building racing drones. The company’s superior design concepts soon caught the attention of military forces, prompting a shift in focus to meet the needs of the defense industry. As stated on the company’s website, “The C100 combines the record-breaking speed and agility of a small, packable drone with autonomous, AI-assisted software. The result is a unit-level air support system that can navigate, identify, and execute missions.”
According to the Replicator 1.2 press release, the Ghost X, C100, and other classified drone systems will be ready for deployment by August 2025. Advising the Replicator program in his newly appointed role as the Pentagon’s Director of the Defense Innovation Unit is Apple’s Vice President, Doug Beck. ” Combining cutting-edge hardware with cutting-edge software — the capabilities and needs of each pushing the bounds of what is possible with the other — is at the heart of the very best of technology in the commercial sector,” Beck said. “Replicator is harnessing this same synergy, ensuring we can adopt commercial best practices to iteratively develop, test, and ultimately field autonomous systems, both individually and collectively, at scale.”
The DOD’s Replicator program is still in its early stages. Under the leadership of Kathleen Hicks, the program has the potential to solidify the United States’ position as the world’s strongest military force, particularly in terms of drone capabilities. As Admiral Christopher Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “This is just the beginning. Replicator is helping us jumpstart the delivery of critical capabilities at scale. We will build on that momentum with industry partners to deliver what the warfighter needs, and remove barriers to doing so again and again.”
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