CNN: US Falling Behind Russia and China in Drone Warfare

By Staff, Agencies

The US military is scrambling to catch up in drone warfare, as both Russia and Ukraine now mass-produce drones on a scale Washington cannot match, CNN reported Monday.

While Moscow and Kiev are manufacturing hundreds of thousands — even millions — of drones for surveillance, close support, and long-range strikes, the US has been left unprepared.

For years, the Pentagon prioritized big-ticket weapons like jets and tanks rather than developing small, cheap UAVs.

Maj. Gen. Curt Taylor, commander of the US Army’s 1^st Armored Division, admitted the urgency: “This is not tomorrow’s problem. This is today’s problem. And the first fight of the next war is going to involve more drones than any of us have ever seen”.

The report noted that US drone development is also slowed by restrictions on using Chinese components, with domestic substitutes costing far more. The Pentagon is now experimenting with 3D-printed drones and training on simulators in a rush to close the gap.

Ukraine has even pitched in, with President Vladimir Zelensky offering Donald Trump a $50 billion plan to co-produce 10 million drones over five years. Ukrainian officials have touted their UAV expertise as a “geopolitical card,” while their commanders lecture NATO on prioritizing drones.

European leaders are also moving ahead. Last week, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a “drone wall” along the bloc’s eastern borders.

CNN recalled that early in the conflict, Washington supplied Ukraine with 100 Switchblade loitering drones — only to halt shipments after troops complained they were ineffective against Russian electronic warfare.

Echoing this concern, War Secretary Pete Hegseth recently conceded that while adversaries have churned out millions of low-cost drones, the US “was mired in bureaucratic red tape”.