Interior Department: Pentagon’s Blue sUAS drones grossly ineffective, 8-14 times costlier
Ishveena Singh
- Jul. 19th 2021 4:32 am PT
The Pentagon has spent roughly $18 million to test and identify drones that government agencies can use instead of those made or assembled in China. But how do these drones stack up against the competition? Not too well, according to an internal US government memo. The Pentagon-approved Blue sUAS drones are 8 to 14 times more expensive and only 20% as effective when it comes to vital conservation work, according to the Department of Interior (DoI).
In a seething memo sent to the incoming Biden administration in January, the DoI says that the Pentagon’s Blue sUAS program has reduced the department’s sensor capabilities by as much as 95%. The memo, which has been verified by the Financial Times, goes on to warn that with an average price of $2,100, the blue sUAS drones were 8 to 14 times more expensive than the aircraft the department was previously able to purchase.
According to the memo:
By only having the ‘Blue UAS’ approved [drones], it reduces DoI sensor capabilities by 95%… The aircraft are designed for a very specific DoD [Department of Defense] mission set and will only meet around 20% of DoI mission requirements.
https://dronedj.com/2021/07/19/interior-department-slams-blue-suas-drones/
