DOD counter drone office releases request for white papers related to next demonstration

The Pentagon's Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) has released a request for white papers related to the office's next demonstration, scheduled for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025.

According to the notice, released Thursday, the office is seeking white papers for “Detect, Track, Identify, and/or Defeat for Short Range Defeat Within a Contested Electromagnetic Environment.” The government intends to identify “potential materiel solutions that have promising technologies or approaches” when it comes to small UAS capabilities that can operate in a contested electromagnetic environment.

The demonstration planned for next year is the sixth the JCO will have conducted since the office was stood up four years ago. Demo 5, the most recent one, was conducted this past summer at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ and focused on defeating large swarms of up to 50 drones.

Demo 6 will focus on systems used to detect, track, identify and defeat Group 3 UAS, those weighing less than 1,320 pounds but more than 55 pounds, within a slant range of 2 kilometers from the counter small UAS platform. The Pentagon is interested in “small arms munitions at or below 40mm and kinetic interceptor effectors,” the notice states.

The planned demonstration will also include systems used by dismounted forces for detection and identification of groups 1 and 2 UAS -- those weighing less than 55 pounds. This category includes handheld weapons as well as “personal weapon affixable systems” such as enhanced optics and warfighter wearable systems.

The JCO is hosting a virtual industry day for vendors Oct. 9. Responses to the request for white papers are due Oct. 25.