Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photos: Bettmann and Interim Archives via Getty Images
The Pentagon's newestquandary: How to cost-effectively intercept cheap but deadly drones wielded by a growing number of enemy forces.
Why it matters: The U.S. and other militaries are sometimes using million-dollar munitions to blow up relatively inexpensive drones. That trade may prove unsustainable.
Driving the news: Iran unsuccessfully targeted Israel with hundreds of attack drones earlier this year, while Houthi rebels have for months peppered vessels near Yemen, taxing U.S. warships and jets.
What they're saying: "If we're shooting down a $50,000 one-way drone with a $3 million missile, that's not a good cost equation," Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, told a Senate subcommittee this week.
"The technology is changing every couple of weeks, and the tactics are changing, and it's going to be a constant fight."
