At the end of the month, the Air Force anticipates a request for information announcement to gather information on system concepts for a Next Generation Unmanned Aerial System (NG UAS), with responses coming back by mid-July.

Air Force Material Command (AFMC), in support of the Air Combat Command, is interested in reviewing concepts for a NG UAS. The capability to detect, track, and precisely engage time sensitive targets (TSTs) is highly important in the current war on terror.

The specialized and demanding hunt and kill missions and support of troops on the ground push the MQ-9 Reapers “beyond the limits of its capabilities and present serious effectiveness issues,” a notice in the May 15 issue of FBODaily said. This leaves room for improvement and innovation in system performance needed to address future advisory threats that will exist in 2015 and beyond.

The NG UAS is envisioned to be a synergistic system consisting of an airframe, mission control station, sensor suite, and weapon suite. Integrated system solutions that can achieve capabilities much greater than current MQ-9’s while being supportable and remaining relatively affordable are of interest, the announcement said.

Initial system concepts should include proven and emerging technologies with an anticipated technology level 6 by 2010 for anticipated initial operational capability of 2015. The next generation system should provide significantly improved capability such as improved survivability in increased threat environments, improved ISR, and a multi-role reconfigurable mission control station.

The NG UAS should be able to support or perform key missions such as force protection, limited interdiction, close air support or forward air control- airborne, and limited suppression of enemy aircraft defenses.

The new system should be affordable, reliable and supportable and be able to be more maneuverable and stay on station longer than the current MQ-1 and MQ-9 platforms, have a high subsonic dash speed and be able to be self-deployed with as much as twice the payload capacity of current MQ-9 platforms and carry weapons and sensors inside and out.

More information will be forthcoming in the RFI later this month.