The Army plans to expand its autonomous air capability portfolio with a CCA-like option, and right now the service is working with the other services, partners and allies to find out what the right option may look like.
“Basically what we've done is we have taken a [UH60L] Black Hawk, and using our MATRIX autonomy system, have turned this aircraft into a UAS," Erskine “Ramsey” Bentley, director of strategy and business development for Sikorsky Advanced Programs, said.
CDAO’s Advana data analytics platform is ingesting data from about 500 DoD business systems.
One Army official acknowledged that the future High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) might go through a program change.
“The beauty of that is they can mass produce it but also give specifications about the [launched effects] going inside,” one DEVCOM official said.
The demo come as two Army officials tell Breaking Defense that the service is reassessing its unmanned needs and looking at new lethal options.
“We're looking at how do you bring [in new] technology capabilities … in the cockpit? How do you put their ability to communicate at longer distances?” said Brig. Gen. Cain Baker.
Modeling and simulation get an AI upgrade for more realistic training and improved autonomous platforms.
Andrew Evans, the director of the Army’s ISR Task Force, gave Breaking Defense new details about the Army's plan for the HADES future surveillance aircraft after a coveted contract award.
The Army has received its first two ITEP engines, and a re-engined Black Hawk will fly in late FY25/early FY26.
“The Moroccans are fully integrated” in the exercise, said Lt. Col. Aaron Ritzema, helping hunt simulated “enemy” transmitters with high-altitude balloons and four different types of drones.
Army acquisition head Doug Bush said he and Army Futures Command head Gen. James Rainey expect to have a plan rolled out sometime this summer.
As aircraft shrink, threats expand, and technology accelerates, aircraft engines must iterate along with the threats.
The newer category of weapons will take center stage at this year’s aviation-focused EDGE demonstration, with the service exploring swarming options.
Next up will be the first test flight with the fully integrated prototype that will add in the payloads and mission system.