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US DoD seeks to boost small drone industry

6th September 2019 - 20:01 GMT | by Marc Selinger in Washington DC

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A new Pentagon initiative is aiming to stimulate the development of a domestic SUAS industry to rival China’s DJI, the world’s leading provider of such drones.

The effort will be the initial focus of the US DoD’s new Trusted Capital Marketplace (TCM) programme, which will bring together venture capitalists and cash-seeking industry representatives. An event focused on SUAS is slated to occur in October, according to Ellen Lord, Pentagon acquisition chief.

While DJI’s low-cost, sophisticated drones have allowed the company to gain dominance in the commercial market, US defence officials are wary of using them for intelligence-gathering missions, fearing the

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Marc Selinger

Marc is a freelance contributor to Shephard Media's news streams, with decades of experience writing …

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