Now Reading: Army defines its strategy for the acquisition of disposable drones in future procurements
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Army defines its strategy for the acquisition of disposable drones in future procurements
Army defines its strategy for the acquisition of disposable drones in future procurements
In its quest to maintain supremacy on the battlefield of the future, the U.S. Army is on the verge of defining requirements for a new generation of expendable drones specifically designed for military operations. During the recent Army Aviation Association of America annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Col. Danielle Medaglia, the Army's unmanned aircraft systems project manager, revealed that the institution is in the process of reviewing these requirements through the Army Requirements Oversight Board, with a decision expected in June.
This new type of drone, called the Purpose-Built Atritable System (PBAS), promises to revolutionize military operations by incorporating a range of advanced capabilities and control mechanisms. According to Col. Medaglia, the initiative began with inspiration from the first-person view drones that gained notoriety in the Ukraine conflict, but PBAS is intended to encompass much more. "It will be a multifunctional capability," explained Col. Nick Ryan, the Army's UAS capabilities manager, who added that these drones could operate from FPV-type manual control to more autonomous configurations.
Ryan also highlighted the versatility of PBASs, mentioning the possibility of them operating in swarms or in coordinated formations with manned helicopters, such as the AH-64 Apache, and even engaging enemy drones in autonomous aerial dogfights. "Imagine autonomous, robot-to-robot aerial combat," Ryan noted, illustrating the disruptive potential of this technology.
Interest in this type of technology is high, as evidenced by the industry response to the Army's request for solutions, which attracted more than 60 suppliers in just two weeks. According to Medaglia, the proposal evaluation process is already underway, and the Army plans to conduct flight demonstrations with selected vendors before awarding multiple contracts, looking for companies capable of rapidly producing these systems.
"We need to scale quickly," Medaglia stated. "We want to deploy early, learn and iterate. We're moving incredibly quickly in this space." With funding already secured and an ambitious timeline, the U.S. Army's PBAS project is clearly on track to transform the paradigm of unmanned warfare in the coming years, marking a before and after in the way drones are conceived and used on the battlefield.
