Washington: As the US Army examines its options for operating larger drones for surveillance and attack missions in remote locations, it is hoping to nail down an acquisition plan over the next year, according to three service leaders.
In early June, the Army released a request of information for a group 4 or 5 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) — meaning drones weighing more than 1,320 pounds. The service is keenly interested in platforms that can fly 500 nautical miles at 20,000 feet up in the air with multiple payloads, and that are capable of short takeoff and landing (STOL).
“This is to determine what the market and what technology has evolved over the past several years. We’ve been watching the space very closely” said Brig Gen David Phillips, the program executive officer for aviation.
More than 10 responses came in as a result of that early summer solicitation, and the service has begun consolidating the replies, according to Col Joshua Ruisanchez, the director of the Aviation Capability Development and Integration Directorate. Ruisanchez said he anticipates receiving that analysis around the October timeframe, at which point the Army will begin the process of assembling various options for senior leaders.
The service currently operates the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, but Ruisanchez and Col Nick Ryan, the director for the Army Capability Manager-Unmanned Aircraft Systems, said they are interested in improvements to that drone, as well as other options on the market suitable for soldiers at the corps and division levels.
Raksha Anirveda's editorial desk team brings in the collective experience of creative professionals - a fine mix of senior copy editors, writers, proofreaders and designers. Working as a team, they continuously create, manage, and curate content to sustain the magazine's profile and reputation in line with market trends and achieve magazine's goal.
