New Pentagon contract worth $800 million focuses on underwater drone technology
On July 30th the Defense Department awarded a contract worth nearly $800 million towards the research and development of unmanned underwater drones. In its 2019 fiscal year budget, the DoD allotted $9.6 billion to unmanned systems. According to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, this is a 28% increase from the previous year which solidifies the department’s interest in unmanned systems is growing. The Pentagon has selected 23 different companies to share the contract with expected completion by July of 2023, just 5 years from now.