{"id":65347,"date":"2023-05-15T15:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T15:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/05\/15\/army-evaluating-first-launched-effects-prototype\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:43:52","slug":"army-evaluating-first-launched-effects-prototype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2023\/05\/15\/army-evaluating-first-launched-effects-prototype\/","title":{"rendered":"Army evaluating first \u2018launched effects\u2019 prototype"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Army is evaluating <\/b>an initial launched effects prototype as it continues to experiment with requirements and capabilities<\/a> for a future program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service now plans to launch these small, uncrewed aircraft not only from air platforms, but from launchers on the ground or off vehicles and, as a result, is moving away from calling them \u201cair-launched effects\u201d to simply \u201claunched effects.\u201d It has demonstrated the capabilities several times, including at the service\u2019s first Edge exercise in 2021<\/a>, which experiments with technology to enhance operations in the aerial tier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army is considering several size classes for these launched effects<\/a>, but is rapidly prototyping the first version of a small, launched effects capability. This version is meant to help the service decide how to procure and employ these systems on the battlefield for tasks ranging from targeting, communications and networking to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, the service selected 10 companies to provide mature launched effects technologies<\/a>. From those, the Army then chose five companies earlier this year to come together to build a prototype with each company bringing a different element to the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anduril Industries<\/a> is providing the air vehicle. Anduril purchased Area-I, the original developer of the vehicle \u2014 the Altius 700 \u2014 in 2021. The Altius 700 has been in use by the Army to evaluate launched effects for over five years.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies company, is the mission system provider, and Aurora Flight Sciences is the system integrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology Service Corp. and Northrop Grumman Information Systems are providing modular payloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maj. Gen. Rob Barrie, the Army\u2019s program executive officer for aviation, told Defense News in a recent interview the Army plans to wrap up evaluation of the prototypes in September 2024 and will then weigh a number of options, from rapid fielding to low-rate initial production to more prototyping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dustin Engelhardt, Collins Aerospace\u2019s senior manager of business development for air launched effects and future tactical UAS, said the prototype is applying a \u201cDr. Frankenstein\u2019s monster approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got an air vehicle that\u2019s being brought in, two payloads being brought in, so kind of the body and the fists,\u201d Engelhardt said. \u201cWe\u2019re really the brains that tie all of those together and also the mouth \u2026 we also have a responsibility for the communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n