Pentagon requests $55 billion for drone and autonomous warfare in 2027 budget

14 articles · Updated · Fox News · Apr 28

The proposed funding marks a dramatic increase from $225 million the previous year, amid rising drone threats in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The request, part of a $1.5 trillion national defense budget, aims to accelerate deployment of AI-enabled drone swarms and autonomous systems across air, land, and sea, shifting U.S. military doctrine.
Officials cite adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran advancing similar capabilities, prompting investments in both offensive swarms and layered defenses. Technical and operational challenges remain in scaling and integrating these new systems.

With a $55 billion budget, is the U.S. creating a new AI military-industrial complex?

Can the Pentagon's bureaucracy move fast enough to win a high-tech drone arms race?

Is building better defenses a smarter investment than building thousands of attack drones?

As AI decides targets, who is held accountable for mistakes in autonomous warfare?

How will drone swarms fight when enemy jamming cuts their communications?

How can local authorities secure commercial drones that can be easily weaponized?