The Army is seeking industry’s input on new large, multi-purpose drone capabilities that could potentially be deployed for a range of missions, to include precision strike and intelligence collection.
A new Request for Information notice released on Thursday details the Army’s interest in Group 4 and 5 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that would offer extended ranges and the ability to carry a wide swath of sensor and weapons payloads.
“The Army requires a Group 4 or 5 UAS to serve as an extended range, long endurance, multi-purpose UAS,” the service writes in the RFT notice. “This UAS will be required to execute various missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, security, attack, precision strike, intelligence collection, and command and control support in large-scale combat operations.”
The new RFI arrives as the Army plans to increase investment in unmanned systems as part of its aviation rebalancing, which followed the cancellation of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program (Defense Daily, March 7).
“To address the challenges across different domains, this UAS will need to leverage on-board, long-range sensing capabilities to maintain appropriate standoff from short- and mid-range Integrated Air Defense Systems threats. When operating in conjunction with manned systems, this UAS would enhance the Army’s ability to gather accurate and timely information, intelligence, and significantly reduce the time required to deliver both lethal and non-lethal effects,” the Army writes in the new notice.
For payloads, the RFI notes the Army’s interest in a large UAS that can integrate “advanced sensor technologies such as Electro-Optical/Infrared/Laser Designator sensors, Synthetic Aperture Radar/Moving Target Indicator sensors, multiple intelligence sensors and Electronic Warfare sensors.”
The Group 4/5 UAS would also need the ability to carry precision-guided munitions, Launched Effects and “future emerging capabilities,” according to the notice.
Launched Effects is the Army’s program to field new autonomous air vehicles that can be launched from aircraft or ground platforms, to include drones, and integrated with a variety of payloads and mission system applications to provide a range of effects for reconnaissance, extended communications links and eventually lethal capabilities.
The Army in March detailed its plans for rapid prototyping and forthcoming production efforts in pursuit of short, medium and long-range Launched Effects capabilities (Defense Daily, March 27).
The new RFI asks industry to detail Group 4 and 5 UAS systems capable of a minimum 500 feet per minute climb rate, ability to carry up to 1,000 pounds in external payloads and that have a range of at least 500 nautical miles at 20,000 feet above sea level.
The large drones must also be able to conduct automated take-off and landing, land at previously unsurveyed sites, operate autonomously in all conditions and support automated target detection, identification and recognition according to the notice.
For lethal effects, the RFI states drone offerings must be able to engage “traditional and non-traditional air, ground, and maritime moving and stationary targets.”