The American army launches its drone sales platform: Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace

If Ukraine had to rely heavily on its allies since the invasion of Russia, now it inspires them. Especially the United States. While the war in the Middle East seems to be stalling, the American army has announced the launch of a market for drones and their military use components, as reported by Le Parisien. Titled “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace” (UASM), and opened in collaboration with Amazon Web Services and the US army’s cloud technology management agency, it aims to allow military units, government partners, and allied countries to more efficiently acquire drones.

On its website, the American army is proud of this new platform and provides more details. The UASM “offers tools for users to compare system functionalities, provide direct feedback, and easily place orders,” it can be read. But most notably in this project is the proximity with existing Ukrainian platforms. Indeed, Kiev already has two similar bases: Brave1 Market and DOT-Chain Defense, as reminded by Militarnyi website.

Innovation, expanded range, and broader industrial base

While the United States made no mention of the two Ukrainian platforms, they are convinced that theirs will revolutionize the approach to drone acquisition, whether by comparing their characteristics or contacting manufacturers. For the Army, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace “marks a major departure from traditional, slower acquisition methods, and is a key component of the US Army’s goal to transform its procurement process,” said the portfolio acquisitions director for maneuver aviation.

The director for the Business Aviation Capabilities Program believes that this new platform will be a cornerstone of the modernization strategy for the Army’s aviation to “equip soldiers with the unmanned technologies they need to maintain superiority on a complex battlefield,”. Americans hope to foster innovation, offer a wider range, and expand their industrial base to meet new demands on the battlefields.

On the other hand, Rodney David, the manager of the Business Aviation Capacities Program, believes that “by creating a dynamic and competitive environment, we are not just buying drones, we are offering versatile and advanced aerial capabilities that will give our formations a decisive advantage in multi-domain operations.”