The U.S. Army is seeking insight from industry on mobile weapons platforms that can counter unmanned aerial systems, according to a request for information (RFI) posted to SAM.gov.
According to the RFI, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command “anticipates a requirement to provide a Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems turreted gun-based capability.”
Therefore, the Army wants insight into “interest, capabilities, and qualification of businesses to compete and perform a hybrid type contract with fixed price and cost reimbursable requirements,” the document states.
Most specifically, the Army is eyeing mobile platforms, such as vehicle-mounted weapon systems, that can defeat drones using a rapid-fire cannon with automatic aiming capabilities.
Interested vendors need to be capable of “designing, documenting, manufacturing and integrating Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” the RFI says. Notably, the service branch requested information about system performance data against Group 3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems — an unmanned aerial systems category that includes kamikaze drones.
Some additional anticipated requirements include a command-and-control solution that can display air tracks and pass tracks to the gun system, active radar, electro-optical and infrared sensors, and the ability to raise the sensor and communication suite above a 10-meter tree line.
Responses to the RFI are due March 22.
In other drone tech news, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is soliciting advanced technologies that can help defend installations against small drones.
In a request for proposals (RFP) — released just one week before the Army’s RFI — the Marine Corps is soliciting advanced technologies that can help defend installations against small drones.
The Marine Corps requires a modernized C-sUAS capability to counter the evolving threats. The failure to deliver this capability “places personnel, covered facilities, and assets at unnecessary risk,” the RFP states.
The service branch wants to incorporate advanced technologies throughout the “full kill chain” that can help detect, track, identify and defeat these types of drones — including integrated and networked sensor nodes and weapon systems that can defend installations “non-kinetically and kinetically, according to the RFP.
Responses to the USMC solicitation are due March 25.
