Army seeking Aerial Target System

The Army is soliciting industry proposals for a targeting system designed for training and testing, according to a public announcement.

Issued as a pre-solicitation, the announcement asks industry to develop the Aerial Target Systems 3 “that can be used to replicate aerial threats for use in research, development, test and evaluation and training environments.”

Aerial Target Systems can replicate aerial threats U.S. forces would face on the battlefield, which can be used for training and testing, according to the Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation.

The system includes unmanned aerial targets, unmanned aerial systems, subsystems, components and other aerial systems and equipment that can be used to replicate aerial threats for use in research, development, test and evaluation and training environments, according to the announcement.

“These systems may be controlled using traditional ground control stations, cellular communication networks or may operate autonomously,” the announcement reads.

The Army currently uses several unmanned aerial systems, two of which can reach speeds of up to 575 mph at altitudes of up to 40,000 feet, or 10,000 feet higher than the average cruising altitude of a Boeing 747 airliner.

According to the announcement, the Army anticipates issuing a formal request-for-proposals in the next 45 days with a five-year contract being awarded to multiple offerors in fiscal year 2024.