US DoD Replicator Initiative

Replicator is a US Department of Defense initiative, announced by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks in August 2023 and led by the Defense Innovation Unit, to field attritable autonomous systems in multiple thousands across multiple domains within 18 to 24 months, first to counter China's military mass. The Pentagon planned about USD 1 billion for it across fiscal 2024 and 2025, and in November 2024 DIU awarded prototype contracts for collaborative autonomy software and resilient command and control. Replicator 2, announced in September 2024, shifted the focus to countering small drones, and Joint Interagency Task Force 401 made its first Replicator 2 purchase, two Fortem DroneHunter F700 systems, in January 2026. In September 2025 officials said hundreds of systems had been delivered, and in December 2025 the original effort was reported to continue under the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group.