The US Army has issued a request for a conceptual design and technology assessment proposal of the next-generation unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
The proposals are for the second phase of the Next Generation Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Demonstration (NexGen UAS TD).
Go deeper with GlobalData
Led by the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Aviation & Missile Center’s Aviation Development Directorate, the NexGen UAS TD is aimed at the development of the acquisition programme to replace legacy UAS.
The army’s next-generation UAS fleet is anticipated to be in operation from 2030.
Through the NexGen UAS TD, the army intends to identify and demonstrate air vehicle technologies that meet certain requirements in terms of technology, performance, survivability, and reliability.
Under Phase II, the Aviation Development Directorate will carry out an assessment to develop conceptual designs that meet the air vehicle requirements generated from the Phase I Concept Study results.
Additionally, concepts submitted by the participants will be evaluated to determine critical enabling technologies for development and demonstration in the subsequent phase.
Phase III of the NexGen UAS TD will involve a flight demonstration and/or demonstration of capability-enabling air vehicle technologies.
It may also include the development and testing of prototypes for the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
While initial test/demonstration activities of air vehicle technologies are slated for 2020-2023, the final test/demonstration is anticipated to take place in 2023.
