“I think it's unanimous from all the soldiers involved that we got this one right,” said the Army’s project manager for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System. Manned aircraft, FARA and FLRAA, are also moving out sharply.
“Shadow could never fly in this type of moisture, couldn’t even come close,” Brig. Gen. Walter Rugen said, but all four FTUAS candidates made it through the rain. The formal Army Requirements Oversight Council process begins in weeks.
AI is reshaping the Army’s approach to cyber, electronic warfare and command and control. At TechNet Augusta 2026, leaders outlined how they’re turning emerging technology into capabilities for the battlefield.
Despite disruptions worldwide, Future Vertical Lift flight tests, virtual industry days, and design reviews are all moving ahead on schedule or mere weeks behind.
While some prototype deliveries and field tests are being delayed, Army leaders said, there’s enough slack in the schedule that combat units will still get the new tech on time.
Troops in improvised face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 have begun field testing one candidate for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS).
Before manned aircraft enter hostile airspace, three different types of drones – long-range, tactical, and miniaturized – will rip open the seams in the enemy’s defenses.
Traditional thinking about how to protect facilities must adapt to new threats such as drones or downstream attacks.
The Army isn’t just replacing old helicopters. It’s building a networked "ecosystem" of mutually supporting manned and unmanned weapons that can drive a flying wedge into Russian and Chinese air defenses.
The Army aims to replace its RQ-7 Shadow with a new, more nimble drone that doesn’t require a runway, to better scout and survive in fast-moving conflicts with great powers.
The new drone is just one part of an ambitious overhaul of Army aviation.
How can Army accelerate its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft when one leading contender started flight tests just seven days ago?
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Manned air and ground forces would work together and protect each other along the front line, while relatively expendable drones and missiles go deep into enemy airspace.
All this technology serves a new concept of operations for defeating dense advanced air defenses of the kind Russia and China are both building for themselves and selling abroad.