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Army cuts helicopters, pushes ‘Amazon for war’ as drone combat reshapes military
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Army leaders signaled Wednesday that drone-heavy warfare and recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are reshaping the service’s aviation and missile defense strategy, driving new scrutiny of helicopter programs and costly Patriot interceptor systems.
The comments come as the Army’s fiscal year 2027 budget request sharply cuts the funding request for helicopter procurement, including reducing Apache funding from roughly $361.7 million to about $1.5 million, Black Hawk funding from about $913 million to roughly $39.3 million and Chinook procurement from roughly $629 million to about $210 million, while increasing investment in drones, autonomy and low-cost battlefield technologies.
The transformation push is already extending beyond procurement. The Army previously announced plans to cut roughly 6,500 active-duty aviation positions over fiscal years 2026 and 2027 — including pilots, flight crews and maintainers — as leaders shift resources toward unmanned systems and drone warfare.
It remains unclear whether the procurement reductions ultimately will shrink aviation fleet sizes, extend the service life of aging aircraft or delay planned replacement cycles.
Army leaders suggested the battlefield lessons driving the changes are already shaping budget decisions, as the service redirects money away from some traditional aviation programs toward drones, autonomy and low-cost mass systems.
«Absolutely, as we look across the aviation portfolio … we’re re-looking that,» Assistant Army Secretary Brent Ingraham said during a Pentagon media roundtable Wednesday.
Ingraham said the Army is reassessing how traditional manned aircraft fit alongside larger unmanned systems increasingly capable of missions once handled by helicopters.
The proposed aviation cuts already have drawn concern on Capitol Hill.
During a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing May 12, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned that the Army’s budget request included «zero H-64 Apaches, zero Chinook Block IIs and one UH-60 Black Hawk,» arguing the service was divesting critical capabilities before validating replacements.
«Your department’s budget request cuts over $5 billion from the industrial base in the aviation sector alone, effectively shutting down all current Army aviation platforms,» Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, pressed War Secretary Pete Hegseth during a May 12 House Appropriations hearing. «How did the department arrive at the conclusion that reducing procurement for these Army aviation platforms strengthens rather than weakens the aviation industrial base?»
Hegseth acknowledged the Pentagon was reconsidering parts of the plan.
«There are some very good things in the Army Transformation Initiative, and there are some things that we’ve needed to get another look at,» Hegseth told lawmakers during a House hearing after facing questions about the scale of the aviation cuts.
Hegseth said Pentagon leaders were focused on ensuring the Army does not create «aviation capability gaps» as it transitions toward more unmanned systems and next-generation technologies.
Army leaders signaled Wednesday that drone-heavy warfare and recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are reshaping the service’s aviation and missile defense strategy, driving new scrutiny of helicopter programs and costly Patriot interceptor systems. (Al Drago/Reuters:Stephen Wormuth/Reuters)
‘EYES IN THE SKY’: ARMY DRONE EXPERT EXPLAINS US STRATEGY ON INNOVATION AS GLOBAL CONFLICT LOOMS
Army leaders said the rapid spread of cheap drones is forcing the Army to rethink how it buys and fields aircraft, missile defenses and battlefield technology.
«We know we don’t want to continue to use a Patriot missile to shoot down a cheap drone,» Ingraham said. «You’ve got to get on the right side of the cost curve.»
The concern has become increasingly urgent after the U.S. and its allies burned through large numbers of expensive missile defense interceptors during the Israel-Iran conflict and broader Middle East operations, fueling Pentagon concerns about stockpile depletion and the long-term sustainability of relying on multimillion-dollar defensive systems against cheap drones and missiles.
The Colombian army activated its first unmanned aircraft battalion at the military base in Tolemaida, Colombia, on Oct. 10, 2025, to counter illegal armed groups using drones in conflict. (Raul Arboleda/AFP)
Officials also described a new allied drone and counter-drone procurement marketplace designed to speed foreign military sales and standardize interoperable systems across partner nations. Driscoll compared the effort to «an Amazon for war.»
Officials said the marketplace is expected to become available to roughly 25 U.S. allies and partners worldwide, initially focused on drone and counter-drone systems before potentially expanding to additional capabilities and countries.
The platform will for now only allow allies to buy U.S. capabilities.
US DRAINS CRITICAL MISSILE STOCKPILES IN IRAN WAR AS YEARSLONG REBUILD LOOMS
The Army also is launching a rapid competition to develop low-cost interceptors designed to counter drones and cruise missiles without exhausting multimillion-dollar Patriot missile stocks.
Ingraham said companies will have roughly 120 days after an upcoming industry event to demonstrate technologies ranging from rocket motors and seekers to fully integrated interceptor concepts.
«Even if you don’t have it all on the ground … bring it,» he said.
The transformation effort reflects growing concern inside the Pentagon that cheap drones, autonomous systems and mass-produced weapons are rapidly changing the economics and survivability assumptions of modern warfare, particularly after conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East exposed vulnerabilities in traditional armored and aviation-heavy battlefield concepts.
Army leaders signaled that drone-heavy warfare and recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are reshaping the service’s aviation and missile defense strategy, driving new scrutiny of helicopter programs and costly Patriot interceptor systems. (Anthony Bailey/Handout via Reuters)
Army leaders increasingly suggest future wars will rely less on small numbers of expensive manned platforms and more on large quantities of cheaper, networked and rapidly replaceable systems capable of surviving in drone-saturated battlefields.
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said at the roundtable that the service is attempting to overhaul what leaders view as decades of broken acquisition practices that left the Army too slow to adapt to rapidly changing battlefield conditions.
«How do we dig down deep into the system to change the broken processes that have led to so many bad outcomes over the last 30 years?» Driscoll said.
Driscoll said the Army had lost Congress’s trust after decades of acquisition failures and budget overruns.
«The United States Army had in some ways lost Congress’s trust over the last 30 years that we could do big new projects, keep them on time, keep them on budget,» he said.
He later referenced the Army’s now-canceled M10 Booker armored vehicle program as an example of the type of procurement failure leaders are trying to avoid.
«When we go to Congress and say, ‘Hey, trust us to develop a new platform. This one will not turn out like the Booker tank,’» Driscoll said.
Driscoll argued the Army already is trying to field new capabilities on dramatically accelerated timelines more similar to wartime adaptation cycles seen in Ukraine than traditional Pentagon acquisition schedules.
«When Operation Epic Fury kicked off, we were able to on day five go start the process to purchase 13,000 Merops counter-drone interceptors,» Driscoll said.
«By day 10, we had contracted for something we had never purchased before,» he added. «They were starting to flow into theater in the thousands by day 20.»
Army officials also said the service is trying to rapidly improve how weapons systems, sensors and battlefield networks communicate with one another after studying Ukraine’s ability to quickly integrate commercial and military technologies during the war.
«The Ukrainians were highlighting to us how their open architecture system allowed information to pass between nearly all of their sensors and radars,» Driscoll said. «That empowered so many things that they could do that we just can’t do yet.»
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«At this exact moment at Fort Carson, there are 450 developers and programmers jailbreaking all of our equipment,» he added.
«I’m cautiously optimistic within a month from now we will have jailbroken literally hundreds of pieces of equipment.»
conflicts defense, pentagon, drones, us army, spending
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Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to bypass Democratic opposition on a key election integrity bill took a major step forward in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
It’s a major victory for Johnson, R-La., who had to overcome a wall of left-wing opposition and threats of a rebellion within his own GOP ranks.
House Republicans are working to move the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act as part of a larger $95 billion budget bill that, if successful, would completely sideline Democrats to implement election reforms sought by President Donald Trump.
They’re using a mechanism called budget reconciliation, which allows the party in power to pass sweeping fiscal policy by lowering the Senate’s threshold for advancement from 60 votes to a simple majority. In exchange, however, the legislation is subject to intense scrutiny under a strict set of guidelines about what actually counts as true fiscal policy.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol on June 10, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The bill up for consideration on Wednesday was just the first House-wide step in passing a reconciliation package, which is adopting a framework with spending instructions for relevant committees who will then cobble individual portions together into a massive piece of legislation. Both the House and Senate must pass identical versions before it goes to the president’s desk.
All but three members of the House Republican Conference supported the measure: Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., voted against it.
The framework was adopted in a narrow 216 to 214 vote, with all Democrats opposed.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE’S FINAL SPRINT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AND IRAN FUNDING IN PLAY
It comes after fiscal hawks warned for days that they are uneasy with the lack of budget cuts in the framework to offset the $95 billion in new spending.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said he was leaning in support but still undecided.
Donald Trump speaks to members of the media outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, April 13, 2026. (Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«People wonder why the so-called 3AM caucus exists and why we hold our votes to the last minute to put pressure on Republicans in Congress to deliver? It’s because they revert to the mean — which is spending, amnesty, unlimited immigration and political show votes. I want FULL SAVE. I want this unpaid-for spending to be paid for in the 4th reconciliation bill. I want clarity on our war mission while we are backfilling munitions,» he told Fox News Digital.
TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL MAKES NEW SAVE ACT CASE TO REPUBLICANS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., had told reporters, «I just wanted to let them know if you’re doing a whip count right now, I wouldn’t put me in the yes column…I’m not 100% convinced that the SAVE language is going to be held solid through the Senate. In fact, I would bet against it. I just, I don’t have any confidence that the Senate will keep that language tight.»
Both voted in favor of adopting the framework, however.
With just a razor-thin majority, Johnson could lose no more than than two Republicans to still pass anything on partisan lines.
The budget plans for for $73 billion aimed at the U.S. war with Iran, $12 billion for aid to American farmers, and $10 billion for states to implement election integrity measures in the SAVE America Act — namely federal voter ID rules and a proof of citizenship mandate to register to vote.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat from New York, speaks before an upcoming House vote on funding for the US Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 5, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)
Democrats and some Republicans have been wary about funding the Iran war without additional oversight from Congress. And Democrats in both the House and Senate have been vehemently opposed to the SAVE America Act, calling it tantamount to voter suppression.
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But Republicans have near-uniformly argued that it is aimed at enhancing confidence in American elections.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, «Thank you to all of the House Republicans who are supporting the first step towards getting as much of THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, as possible, in the Budget Bill, and to our Great Speaker, Mike Johnson. I am asking all House Republicans to VOTE YES on this very important Budget Resolution. I am watching the vote very closely, and hope Republicans can UNIFY to secure Elections against all forms of Foreign Country Interference, and Illegal Alien voting.»
domestic policies, republicans elections, voting, mike johnson, politics
La investigación por el asesinato del ingeniero argentino Facundo Rico en Madrid logró reconstruir en pocos días cómo se desencadenó el ataque. Para los investigadores, el acusado, a un hombre de 65 años, creía que la víctima era el amante de su esposa. Eso lo llevó a presentarse en su departamento donde lo apuñaló 13 veces y, menos de 24 horas después, se quitó la vida.
El crimen ocurrió el martes 14 de julio, cerca de las 10 de la mañana, en un departamento alquilado del barrio Las Tablas, en el distrito madrileño de Fuencarral. Hasta allí llegó el presunto agresor, también ingeniero, quien ingresó a la vivienda y mantuvo un violento enfrentamiento con Facundo.
La pelea terminó en la cocina de la casa. Según la reconstrucción policial, la víctima recibió 13 puñaladas, varias de ellas en la espalda y en la zona del omóplato. El cuchillo quedó abandonado en el piso y en una de las paredes se hallaron restos de gas pimienta, que el atacante llevaba consigo y utilizó durante la agresión.
Para los investigadores, la violencia desplegada durante el ataque demuestra que el hombre contemplaba la posibilidad de matar. De hecho, consideran que el hecho de haber llevado un aerosol de gas pimienta refuerza esa hipótesis, aunque todavía se analiza si había planificado el homicidio desde un principio. La principal hipótesis de la Policía sostiene que el ataque fue cometido por un hombre de 65 años que estaba convencido de que Rico era el amante de su esposa. (Foto: AP)
Tras el crimen, el agresor escapó rápidamente del edificio. En el hall se cruzó con el encargado, que había sido alertado por una vecina luego de escuchar los gritos de la víctima y percibir un fuerte “olor químico”.
Después subió a un auto rojo, estacionado frente a una clínica, y emprendió viaje hacia la provincia de Ávila. Parte de ese recorrido quedó registrado por cámaras de tránsito.
La obsesión que habría motivado el ataque
Las primeras declaraciones de familiares y allegados de Facundo orientaron la investigación hacia un posible móvil sentimental.
La principal hipótesis sostiene que el agresor estaba convencido de que el ingeniero mantenía una relación con su esposa. Esa sospecha, según la investigación, derivó en una obsesión que terminó desencadenando el ataque, indicaron fuentes de la investigación a El País.
Los detectives establecieron que la mujer, de unos 50 años, y la víctima asistían al mismo gimnasio, ubicado a pocos metros de la casa donde vivía Facundo.
Además, fuentes cercanas al caso señalaron que ella pretendía separarse de su marido, quien habría comenzado a investigar si existía una tercera persona en su vida.
Facundo Rico era oriundo de San Juan y vivía en Madrid hacía al menos una década. (Foto: Facebook / Facundo Rico)
Después del homicidio, el hombre llegó a una segunda residencia que el matrimonio poseía desde hacía dos años en La Adrada, un pueblo de casi 3.000 habitantes ubicado a menos de dos horas de Madrid, donde habían remodelado un antiguo chalet.
Según la reconstrucción de los investigadores, el agresor le dijo a su esposa que durante ese día había estado realizando distintos trámites, sin dar mayores explicaciones. Mientras tanto, la noticia del crimen ya ocupaba los principales medios españoles.
Al día siguiente, cuando comenzaron a difundirse la identidad de la víctima y los detalles del brutal ataque, el hombre se dirigió hasta el paraje conocido como Charco de la Olla y se arrojó a una garganta, donde murió. Antes de suicidarse fue visto por una pareja que caminaba por el lugar, cuyos integrantes luego declararon que lo habían notado con “muy mala cara”.
Una investigación cerrada
Con la muerte del presunto autor, la causa quedó prácticamente concluida desde el punto de vista penal, ya que no existe la posibilidad de continuar el proceso judicial.
De todos modos, los investigadores del Grupo V de Homicidios de la Policía Nacional ya habían reunido una importante cantidad de pruebas.
Leé también: Quién era el ingeniero argentino asesinado de 13 puñaladas en España por una sospecha de infidelidad
Las cámaras de seguridad de la urbanización registraron el ingreso del sospechoso, cuya contextura física resultaba fácilmente reconocible, mientras que el encargado del edificio confirmó haberlo visto salir poco después de escuchar los gritos provenientes del departamento.
La esposa del agresor quedó en estado de shock cuando la Policía le comunicó las sospechas sobre la participación de su marido en el crimen. Incluso, según fuentes cercanas a la investigación, en un primer momento se negó a creer que pudiera haber cometido el asesinato.
España, Crimen, Infidelidad
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