The US Marine Corps (USMC) has issued a request for information (RfI) for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS).
The RfI, posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website on 12 October, calls for industry to identify potential sources for VTOL SUAS platforms to be used by the USMC for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) during day and night operations and in all environmental conditions.
According to the solicitation, the system should be battery-powered, rugged, lightweight (less than 9.07 kg [20 lb]), and ready to use as delivered with minimal logistic, training, and support requirements. It should provide real-time full-motion video via electro-optical and/or infrared sensors.
The air vehicles should be capable of autonomous or a safe manual vertical launch with a minimum of support equipment from a small confined area, and should be capable of either a manual or autonomous recovery within the same area as launch. The recovery method should be adequate to prevent system damage and allow for short turnaround times between missions. The ground control station should be manportable and consist of the necessary equipment to monitor the sensor(s) position and status, control its movement, and view its video.
The PMA-263 programme office that issued the request specified that the VTOL SUAS should have a range of 1 km and an endurance of 30 minutes, and should have an adequate maturity to be fielded immediately. While the RfI does not disclose potential numbers, questions to be answered by industry include the production lead-times based on single order quantities ranging from one to 50 systems.
Responses are requested before 26 October.
Source: IHS Jane’s 360