Pentagon “Replicator” Drone Swarms Introduce New Tactics

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The Pentagon’s evolving “Replicator” program introduces some interesting concepts of operation intended to add new dimensions to deterrence and combat operations such as area denial, electronic shields and new autonomous aerial maneuvers. 

By launching massive amounts of coordinated, yet attributable unmanned systems enabled by breakthrough levels of autonomy, air and ground units can adopt newer maneuver formations, increase speed with AI, introduce new tactics and leverage emerging technology. 

A major “intent” for replicator, as confirmed by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, is to field thousands of new low-cost, attributable drones within two-years.

Pentagon statements on Replicator explain the objective in terms of creating “the ability of U.S. and allied forces to control mass numbers of systems simultaneously. Autonomy allows a single operator to control multiple vehicles and operate at scale.”

Drone swarms can of course build in redundancy to surveillance by blanketing an area with large numbers of sensors, testing or penetrating enemy air defense systems with sheer volume or even operating as jammers or EW screens protecting larger platforms communications systems, guidance and radar. This is potentially quite significant, as any adversary is expected to attempt to “jam” or interfere with radar and communication systems, therefore having an electronic “shield” of some kind generated by sheer “mass” and “volume” could have a critical suppressive impact on enemy jamming efforts.

“Without the need for a control link from operators, the Replicator systems can survive and continue to operate even under heavy jamming, all while U.S. forces deploying them can minimize their vulnerability to detection,” a Pentagon essay states.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks explained “Replicator” in terms of “creating dilemmas” for an enemy, according to a Pentagon transcript of her speech in August of 23.