Army seeking commercially available 'Purpose Built Attritable Systems'

The Army is seeking "Purpose Built Attritable Systems," which are commercially available small unmanned systems that are cost-effective and can be employed at the maneuver small unit level, according to a sources-sought notice posted yesterday.

The drones must be production-ready, reusable and have “unretrievable components” such as uncrewed aircraft platforms, payloads and ancillary equipment, according to the notice.

These drones are meant to “provide the maneuver force a low-cost solution with increased maneuverability, precise lethal payload delivery, and operator concealability.” They are designed to be rapidly reconfigured and have modular payload capabilities to support mission changes “across target acquisition tasks,” such as executing kinetic operations, according to the Army.

The sources-sought notice will be used to evaluate vendor solutions and be followed by a possible invitation for a follow-on demonstration to support the Army maneuver elements, according to the government.

The drones must be compatible with sections in the 2020 and 2023 National Defense Authorization Acts, which prohibit the purchase of drones from “covered” foreign countries that include China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The notice may be used to fulfill future procurement requirements, it states.

Responses to the notice are due May 8.