The U.S. Army recently announced a request for proposal for Phase II of the Next Generation Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Demonstration to help inform and enable the Army’s next-generation UAS. The fleet is slated to operate in the 2030 timeframe and beyond.
The NexGen UAS TD, led by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Aviation & Missile Center’s Aviation Development Directorate, is a Science & Technology effort to enable the development of an acceptable-risk acquisition program intended to supersede legacy UAS.
The objective of the NexGen UAS TD is to identify, mature and demonstrate capability-enabling air vehicle technologies that overcome key technology barriers, delivering desired advanced future UAS performance, survivability, and reliability. NexGen UAS TD intends to culminate in a demonstration of enabling technologies and flying demonstrators.
Phase II, the Conceptual Design and Technology Assessment, will be conducted to develop feasible conceptual designs that meet the air vehicle requirements generated from the Phase I Concept Study results. Concepts will be assessed–including effects of projected technology insertions–to determine critical enabling technologies for development and demonstration in Phase III. An objective aircraft will be defined by successful offerors.
Phase III will culminate with a flight demonstration and/or demonstration of capability-enabling air vehicle technologies that is intended to be informed by the Phase II conceptual designs and identification of prioritized critical enabling technologies. Depending on the maturity and fidelity of AUAS requirements, Phase III may support the development and testing of competitive prototypes for entry into the engineering and manufacturing development phase of an AUAS program of record.
Call number W911W6-16-R-0014 issued under Master Broad Agency Announcement number W911W6-18-R-0005 is soliciting technical and cost proposals to conduct a science and technology effort entitled Conceptual Design and Technology Assessment in support of the NexGen UAS TD. Additional information can be found within BAA W911W6-18-R-0005 which is posted to Federal Business Opportunities at https://www.fbo.gov.
Source: U.S.Army