{"id":68230,"date":"2024-09-12T20:19:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T20:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/09\/12\/army-picks-two-companies-to-get-small-drones-to-brigade-combat-teams\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:03:19","slug":"army-picks-two-companies-to-get-small-drones-to-brigade-combat-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2024\/09\/12\/army-picks-two-companies-to-get-small-drones-to-brigade-combat-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Army picks two companies to get small drones to brigade combat teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Army has picked Anduril Industries and Performance Drone Works to provide Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, or SUAS, to Army units as part of an effort to buy capability fast and get it into soldiers\u2019 hands as the service races to modernize its force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George<\/a> has called the effort \u201ctransformation in contact,\u201d where the service buys available commercial-off-the-shelf capability and then battle tests it with soldiers, instead of spending decades developing something before fielding it only to discover it is outdated by the time it gets to units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTransforming in contact is the way our Army can adapt its formations and get new technology in the hands of soldiers to experiment, innovate, learn, and change at the pace required,\u201d George said in a statement Thursday. \u201cThe Company Level Small UAS Directed Requirement effort is a great example of how we are achieving this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program \u201cis another example of the Army\u2019s ability to rapidly move from an idea to a requirement, to a competition, to testing, to contract awards for production,\u201d the Army\u2019s acquisition chief, Doug Bush, added. \u201cThis shows the acquisition system can move at the pace needed to support the Army, especially in rapidly emerging technology areas like small uncrewed aircraft systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anduril and Performance Drone Works will provide the first tranche of systems that will meet the company-level SUAS requirement in a deal valued at $14.42 million. The service approved the requirement in June 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\t