Pentagon drones less cost-effective than prohibited Chinese craft: media

WASHINGTON - The US Pentagon has faced difficulties trying to develop cost-effective devices with no Chinese technology involved, the Financial Times has reported, citing an internal US government memo.

Camera drones developed by the Pentagon are "more expensive" and "less capable" than the Chinese counterparts "they were designed to replace", the Financial Times wrote in an article published Monday.

The Pentagon spent more than 13 million US dollars developing drones that government agencies could use "instead of those made or assembled in China", but has faced difficulties trying to "wean itself off Chinese technology without obvious domestic alternatives", the article explained.

With an average price of 2,100 US dollars, the drones cost between "eight and 14 times more" than the aircraft the department was previously able to purchase, which contained Chinese parts, it added.