The U.S. Air Force Purchased Chinese DJI Drones for Training at a Nuclear Base
The U.S. Air Force plans to purchase Chinese DJI drones for training exercises to counter small drones at a nuclear facility in Wyoming. The drones will be used as training targets to test electronic warfare equipment, radars, and other counter-UAV systems.
A corresponding request for proposals for small contractors was published on August 14.
The U.S. military is specifically seeking DJI drones, as the procurement is specified as a requirement for a particular brand rather than an open competition among manufacturers.
The order calls for the purchase of:
- two DJI Mavic 2 Pro quadcopters with Fly More kits;
- two DJI Mini 3 Pro drones with remote controls;
- two DJI Avata 2 Fly More kits;
- six payload-dropping devices.
The drones are planned to be used during training exercises to counter small UAVs, specifically to test the performance of electronic warfare systems, radar systems, and other means of detecting and neutralizing drones.
The documentation emphasizes that the use of specific DJI equipment is necessary for the exercises to be conducted effectively. According to the authors of the justification, computer modeling or the use of only American drones will not allow operators to practice countering real DJI radio signals and communication protocols.
The document also states that without the necessary equipment, a “fail-safe nuclear security mission” could be compromised.
The use of Chinese drones at a U.S. military facility could pose additional cybersecurity risks.
To minimize these risks, every DJI drone purchased is planned to be equipped with RIZER software before being put into service.
The documentation describes it as a system that replaces the drone’s standard software and isolates it from external networks.
According to the procurement justification, this configuration is intended to prevent the drones from transmitting or uploading telemetry data or images to foreign entities or to the U.S. Department of Defense network.
Thus, the U.S. military plans to use Chinese drones not for combat missions, but as realistic training targets to test the readiness of a nuclear facility’s defense systems against modern small drones.
This was reported by Defence Blog.
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