Future Tactical UAS prototypes undergo MOSA, flight tests

The prototypes of the two competing vendors in the Army's Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System program have undergone Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) "conformance evaluations" as well as flight tests, the service announced today.

FTUAS, among the Army’s Future Vertical Lift modernization initiatives, will help brigade combat teams conduct reconnaissance and surveillance to assist the BCT commander during multidomain operations. Capabilities of the aircraft include vertical takeoff and landing, as well as “on-the-move" command and control and the ability to keep pace with technology by conducting “rapid capability insertions” through MOSA.

The Army down selected Textron Systems and Griffon Aerospace as the final two competitors for the program last year.

During the MOSA evaluations, conducted in Huntsville, AL in May, the prototypes’ mission computers were replaced with a third-party surrogate mission computer, and a “mix of third-party and vendor software,” the Army stated Wednesday in a press release. This allowed an assessor to measure the “openness and modularity” of the hardware and software systems to analyze compliance with MOSA objectives.

The evaluation “demonstrated early implementation of and alignment with required MOSA functional boundaries,” according to the service.

The Army then conducted flight demonstrations at Redstone Test Center with both company prototypes, with each demonstrating VTOL, reduced acoustic signature, on-the-move C2 and flight performance, according to the service.

Each vendor will continue its prototype development and incorporate lessons learned for future prototypes that will be used in government testing at Redstone. Those future tests will ultimately inform the Army’s final selection in the competition before FTUAS becomes a program of record.