WASHINGTON, August 27. /TASS/. The US Army is lagging behind Russia and Ukraine in the designing and combat use of drones, Politico reported, citing experts.

"We are really, really behind. The problem with the fielding of drones here is that we do not have options that are really very cheap or good. Every single drone here is inferior in quality and costs more than [Chinese-made] DJI drones," Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program of the Center for a New American Security, told the newspaper.

Experts agree that the United States "is not close to developing, much less deploying," sophisticated drones, including kamikaze drones, ground drones, and larger drones that can ferry smaller ones behind enemy lines, Politico wrote.

The newspaper quoted Dan Caldwell, a former senior adviser to the US defense chief, as saying generals and commanders "not just fighting the last war," "but fighting the last two or three wars" is the main reason.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that US specialists are carefully analyzing Ukraine’s experience of using drones in its conflict with Russia.

In early June, Trump signed an executive order instructing the US Federal Aviation Administration to accelerate testing of American-manufactured drone-technologies with a view to scaling up domestic production and expanding the export. Last month, Fox News reported that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had issued orders to fast-track drone production and deployment, in a push to outpace Russia and China in unmanned warfare.