The US Army has selected Anduril Industries and Performance Drone Works to provide Small Uncrewed Air Systems that will equip Infantry Companies within Brigade Combat Teams. The deals with each company are worth $14.42 million and respond to a requirement firmed up last year.
Anduril will supply its portable mini-helicopter GHOST X, which is powered by 2 swappable batteries giving an endurance of up to 75 minutes with a total payload of 9 kg (circa 20 lbs) and a maximum range that can extend to circa 25 km with optional long-range communications kit. The GHOST X is the latest evolution of the GHOST, which found fortune also with the UK Royal Marines (unspecified amounts were acquired).
The GHOST is very compact, has a 2-blade rotor and a modular arrangement that enables the swapping of payloads including electro-optic and infrared gimbals, encoded laser options and a vision-based navigation module for flight capability without reference to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). With both batteries fitted, the total weight is 25 kg. The man-portable system fits neatly into a 'rifle case' and can be reassembled without tools for flight in a couple of minutes.
Performance Drone Work’s C100 is a quadcopter with a carrying capacity of some 10 lbs of modular payloads (when using long endurance battery pack), with an endurance of circa 74 minutes. Back-packable, it is also ready for flight in around 2 minutes. The drone has a fixed camera for First Person View flying. Performance Drone Works showcases the C100 also as a potential attack platform capable of dropping small bombs. Range is over 10 kilometers.
Meanwhile, at the Experimental Gateway Demonstration Event (EDGE) 2024, the US Army will test and evaluate some 30 different drones and Air Launched Effects from 5 different companies that could enhance the capabilities of its aviation branch. There is much interest for air launched drones with different ranges and capabilities, with most effort so far concentrated on the 'medium' size, with Anduril’s ALTIUS tube-launched drone as the main protagonist. Both a smaller and a larger size of drones are also notionally in the plan, with some activities beginning on the Small.
The longer-range option is more in flux still, just as the 'definitive' plan for a longer range missile to fit onto APACHE attack helicopters. The US Army is procuring the Israeli SPIKE NLOS as an interim solution, but a final pick is still undetermined.
Plans are still taking shape for a new large, long range drone as well, for responding to the ISR needs of Divisions and, higher up still, Corps. Notionally, the Division solution would ideally be capable of vertical or almost vertical take off and landing to enable maximum flexibility in the choice of grounds from which to operate, mindful of the need to constantly relocate to escape enemy attacks. Corps would need extra long range. The definitive requirement might be firmed up in 2026.
General Atomics, which supplies the current large drone, the MQ-1C GRAY EAGLE, is keen to highlight how the existing drone can evolve to better respond to the requirements, through STOVL options (the MOJAVE demonstrator and its applicability to GRAY EAGLE) and the improved GRAY EAGLE 25M which first flew back in June.
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