Air Force secures its first Replicator system as part of second tranche
The Defense Department selected an Air Force program for inclusion in its second tranche of Replicator capabilities, DefenseScoop has learned. The news marks the first public report of the service’s participation in this unfolding, high-profile effort.
Multiple sources who spoke to DefenseScoop on the condition of anonymity indicated that the selected drones are those under development for the Enterprise Test Vehicle (ETV) program — an effort being run by the Air Force’s Armament Directorate in collaboration with the Defense Innovation Unit aimed at designing and fielding an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of mass-production at low cost and high volume.
The Air Force and DIU referred questions specific to the ETV program’s relation to Replicator to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
“We have nothing to announce or confirm regarding Replicator tranche two selections at this time,” Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Garron Garn told DefenseScoop in an email Thursday evening.
Spearheaded by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, Replicator looks to respond to China’s ongoing military buildup in the Indo-Pacific by fielding thousands of “attritable autonomous” systems across warfighting domains no later than August 2025. The Pentagon plans to choose technologies for the program in continuous tranches, selecting more proven capabilities in early batches before considering emerging capabilities down the line.
While Replicator is considered a top modernization effort, Hicks and other leaders across the Pentagon have kept many details about specific systems and other aspects of the project behind closed doors. DefenseScoop previously reported that the first tranche of selections — known as Replicator 1.1 — included Switchblade loitering munitions, counter-drone assets and a range of unmanned surface vehicles.
In August, Hicks confirmed that all three military departments were working with the Defense Innovation Unit on narrowing down systems for the follow-on Replicator 1.2. Shortly after, DefenseScoop reported that Anduril’s Dive-LD underwater drone — a Navy program — would be included in the effort’s second tranche.
DIU announced in June that Anduril, Integrated Solutions for Systems, Leidos Dynetics and Zone 5 Technologies are currently developing prototypes for the ETV program, which is being run in collaboration with the Air Force’s Armament Directorate.
The ETV prototypes will leverage commercial and dual-use technologies to better understand how the Pentagon can quickly produce and field drones in the future. Companies are expected to keep their prototypes affordable with commercial off-the-shelf parts, as well as utilize open systems architecture approaches to enable upgrades and subsystem integration.
Under the contract, the four companies are expected to develop UAV prototypes and conduct flight demonstrations by the end of 2024, after which DIU will down-select to one or more systems for continued development.
The original solicitation for the program published in 2023 noted that prototypes should have a range of at least 500 nautical miles; a minimum cruise speed of 100 knots; be capable of delivering a kinetic payload; and be able to demonstrate an air-delivered variant — such as being launched from the back of a cargo aircraft, for example.
A spokesperson for DIU confirmed to DefenseScoop that three of the four vendors are scheduled to conduct test flights for their ETV prototypes no later than September 2024. The fourth company will fly by the end of November 2024, they added.
Results from the test flights will inform decisions about the number of contractors DIU will be able to work with on the program after demonstrations, as well as what activities will be included in ETV’s continued development, the spokesperson said.
Brandi Vincent contributed to this report.
