Army approaches industry for affordable attritable uncrewed aircraft for surveillance and enemy attack

Summary points:

• Solicitation calls for low-cost, expendable uncrewed aircraft capable of reconnaissance, EW, communications, and strike missions.
• Industry proposals must support delivery within 4 to 6 months for soldier experimentation, training, and operations.
• Drones must be autonomous, networked, modular, and swarm-capable, with lethal and non-lethal payloads and 25-mile range.

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – U.S. Army uncrewed systems experts are asking industry for affordable and attritable uncrewed aircraft that can be deployed from the ground or from other aircraft for reconnaissance, electronic warfare (EW), communications relays, or enemy attack.

Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., issued a solicitation (W519TC-25-9-2040) on Tuesday for the Launched Effects program to provide affordable attritable uncrewed aircraft for soldier-operated experimentation, training, and military operations.

The Army Contracting Command is issued this solicitation on behalf of the Army's Program Executive Office Aviation and Project Manager Uncrewed Aircraft Systems. Attritable in this case refers to forces of uncrewed aircraft that acceptably can be worn down, weakened, or diminished over time through continuous losses or engagements.

Army experts are looking for uncrewed aircraft that are networked, autonomous, and able to operate in teams that offer lethal and non-lethal effects for Army brigades, corps, and divisions. These attritable uncrewed vehicles are designed for autonomous operations in contested environments should be able to participate in maneuver, fire-support and ground-attack on high-value targets.

Uncrewed for all by 2026

This project is part of an overall goal to field attritable uncrewed aircraft to every Army division and task force by 2026. Industry should be able to deliver these affordable uncrewed aircraft within four to six months of contract awards.

The Army wants to issue uncrewed aircraft rapidly that are interoperable, modular, and ready for evaluation, including payloads, launchers, ground-support equipment, system controllers, and datalinks.

These affordable and attritable uncrewed aircraft should have infrared sensors to detect, identify, locate, and report enemy locations, movements, and potential targets; be launchable from the air or from the ground; have a minimum operating range of 25 miles with additional time on station; and be able to be redirected during their missions.

Uncrewed aircraft should operate autonomously without operator intervention; avoid collisions with other unmanned aircraft; have simulation software to replicate missions.

Tell me more about attritable uncrewed aircraft ...

• Attritable uncrewed aircraft are low-cost and expendable for high-risk missions where their loss is considered acceptable, and are for operations where traditional, high-value crewed or uncrewed aircraft would be too expensive or vulnerable. These kinds of affordable uncrewed aircraft typically can perform intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), electronic warfare, decoy operations, and strike missions; can deploy in groups to overwhelm enemy defenses; and are stealthy to avoid detection. They can penetrate heavily defended airspace, and support autonomous or semi-autonomous missions in contested environments.

These uncrewed aircraft also should be able carry lethal payloads to attack designated targets; have computer and communications payloads to collect, process, and transmit intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition data; conduct electronic attack; operate as decoys or as communications relays; recognize targets; work together with other autonomous systems without operator intervention; operate as swarms; and operate in RF-degraded or -denied conditions.

These uncrewed aircraft also should be able to operate on existing Army networks; offer cyber security and anti-tamper; launch swarms of other uncrewed aircraft; have modular designs for rapid incremental development and improvement; fly as fast as 120 knots; and provide time on station at distances from 25 and 125 miles.

Companies interested should email 10-page proposals no later than 20 Aug. 2025 to the Army's Mark Martinez at [email protected], and to Jordan Myers at [email protected].

Email questions or concerns to Mark Martinez at [email protected], and to Jordan Myers at [email protected]. More information is online at https://sam.gov/opp/5d930d27d00740cdb43771f6fe83f528/view.