Air commandos seek ‘SOF-peculiar’ attack drones with automatic target recognition capabilities
U.S. Special Operations Command is looking for vendors of small one-way-attack drones that could be launched from aircraft and use automatic target recognition capabilities to find their prey.
Specifically, SOCOM is interested in Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerial systems that could fit inside a common launch tube with a form factor of 5.9-inch diameter and 42-inch maximum overall length, according to a sources-sought notice published Friday on a government contracting website.
Most of the loitering munitions that have made headlines in recent years have been ground-launched. However, there is growing interest in U.S. military circles in one-way attack drones that can be fired from airborne platforms.
Last month, Special Operations Command released an RFI for an air-launched loitering munition. However, the new notice indicates that the organization is now seeking a drone with a significantly lower maximum munition weight — not to exceed 55 pounds — and focusing exclusively on UAS that can fit inside the common launch tubes on its fixed-wing aircraft rather than considering other release mechanisms.
Program Executive Office-Fixed Wing is performing market research “to better understand industry capability and the levels of current expertise in performing spiral development, engineering services, and production of a SOF-peculiar munition” that could be used “across SOF Air platforms” by special operations forces, officials wrote in the latest RFI.
The office wants technology that allows for pre-planned routing and “Intra Platform Communications,” they noted.
The loitering munition “shall support government-owned FANTOM Core collaborative mission autonomy to command and control the platform flight controller via a machine-to-machine (M2M) API and/or C2 integration via BMS (Battle Management System),” officials wrote, noting that the command prefers a seeker assembly that’s integrated with automatic target recognition.
Amid concerns about operating in contested environments, SOCOM is interested in learning about vendors’ alternative position, navigation, and timing technologies that could be integrated into their systems.
According to the notice, the command wants air-launched kamikaze drones with a minimum range of 75 nautical miles from launch point to loitering point; 50-100 knots cruise and loitering speed; and a minimum “dash speed” of 100-plus knots “on attack profile.” The organization is eyeing systems that could be dropped from an altitude as high as 35,000 feet.
Officials are looking to evaluate solution providers’ technologies via a demonstration on the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship or another SOF platform equipped with common launch tubes.
The RFI did not provide a specific cost target for the drones, but it indicated that the command is looking for best value at procurement quantities of 500, 1,000, or 3,000 platforms.
Industry white papers are due Aug. 17.
