Joint C-sUAS office asking for white papers from industry on anti-swarm solutions

A request for white papers from the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) asks industry for solutions to detect, track, identify and defeat sUAS swarm threats.

The notice, posted earlier this month, follows a request for information the office released in July soliciting feedback from industry on the cost and procurement of targets that would potentially be used in a future demonstration focused on swarm attacks.

Army officials have said this next counter UAS demonstration, the fifth in a series, is scheduled for June 2024. It's not yet clear who will be present, but an Army spokesman told Inside Defense last month that the Defense, Justice and Homeland Security departments are among those invited.

The request for white papers asks industry for solutions that have a technology readiness level of six -- meaning the government has deemed it mature enough to operate in a relevant environment.

The notice states respondents must be able to demonstrate either a full system or subsystems of detect, track, identify or defeat capabilities in a “live-fire environment” by May 31, 2024. The Defense Department may craft its acquisition strategy or statement of objectives based on information provided in the white papers.

After the white papers are evaluated, the government could choose up to 10 companies to further discuss their proposed solutions, according to the notice. Those companies would then give presentations to a JCO subject-matter expert panel. In the next phase, companies who are chosen would be invited to provide a demonstration of their product, which would be followed by a prototype proposal phase and the eventual awarding of one or multiple other transaction authorities.