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 US army has reportedly launched a marketplace for drones and their components for military use, as reported by Le Parisien. Called “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace” (UASM), and launched in cooperation with Amazon Web Services and the US army’s cloud technology management agency, it is intended to allow military units, government partners, and allied countries to acquire drones more efficiently.
On its website, the US army praises this new platform and provides more details. The UASM “offers tools that allow users to compare system functionalities, provide direct feedback, and place orders easily,” as stated. But what is striking about this project is the proximity to existing Ukrainian platforms. Indeed, Kiev already has two similar bases: Brave1 Market and DOT-Chain Defense, as reminded by the site Militarnyi.
While the US has made no mention of the two Ukrainian platforms, they are convinced that theirs will revolutionize the approach to acquiring drones, whether to compare their features or contact manufacturers. For the Army, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace “marks a major departure from traditional, slower acquisition methods, and is a key element of the US Army’s goal to transform its procurement process.”
The director of portfolio acquisitions for maneuver aviation estimates that this new platform will be a pillar of the Army’s aviation modernization strategy in order to “equip soldiers with the unmanned technologies they need to maintain their superiority on a complex battlefield.” Americans hope to promote innovation, offer a wider range, and expand their industrial base to meet new demands on the battlefield.
On the other hand, the manager of the Business Aviation Capability Program, Rodney David, 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.”
