Key Issues OCX ACV fielding USAF 'reoptimization' planning
The Army issued a sources-sought notice last week to industry for assessing brigade-level uncrewed aircraft systems that will be used in a "follow-on demonstration" supporting maneuver elements.
The Army’s Program Executive Office for Aviation is seeking information on “available, production ready, and cost-effective UAS as an interim capability,” the notice states. A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) platform for training is required. Additionally, the system must be field-level reconfigurable and include a modular payload capability for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition, according to the Army.
The UAS must comply with provisions in the 2020 and 2023 National Defense Authorization Acts that prohibit the Pentagon from buying drones from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, according to the notice.
In addition to the follow-on demonstration, the drone may be used to fulfill a directed requirement or future urgent capability acquisition, the notice states.
In June 2023 the Army approved a directed requirement for company level small UAS. The service then selected Anduril Industries’ Ghost X and Performance Drone Works’ C-100 for the first tranche of the directed requirement. The fielding of those two systems also falls under Tranche 1.2 of the Defense Department’s Replicator initiative.