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Pentagon’s Special Ops Force Expects Steady Need For Small Unmanned Aircraft

Pentagon’s Special Ops Force Expects Steady Need For Small Unmanned Aircraft
Raven is among the small UAVs deployed by special operations. Photo: AeroVironment

U.S. special operations forces will likely continue to purchase small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at least at the current rate, even as the Army and Marine Corps have slowed the number of buys as the United States withdrawals from conflicts abroad, the Pentagon’s top civilian official for special operations said Tuesday. “I imagine the numbers to remain where they are or increase slightly,” Michael Lumpkin, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, told Defense Daily…

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