Jane Edwards
The U.S. Army has asked industry for information on supply drone concepts as part of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply System program.
A notice published Thursday on the beta SAM website says the service is seeking a first unit equipped supply drone that could demonstrate operational capability at technology readiness level 6, could be ready for use by 2026 and could comply with regulations of the Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The Army is interested in an unmanned aerial vehicle with automated functions such as launch, navigation, flight, cargo drop and landing. The UAV should transport payloads of up to 800 pounds, have cybersecurity capability and require minimal training, logistics and support requirements.Â
The drone’s software and hardware should have a modular open systems architecture to incorporate various payloads, command-and-control systems, vehicle management platforms and mission planning software.
Interested stakeholders should submit a white paper and a PowerPoint presentation of no more than 20 slides by Feb. 12.
