Small (Level 0) Tactical UAS (STUASL0)

Abstract

The RQ-21A BLACKJACK (formerly known as The Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (STUAS)) is a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) program that provides persistent maritime and land-based tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance/Target Acquisition support for tactical level maneuver decisions and unit level force defense/force protection for Naval amphibious assault ships (multi-ship classes) and Navy and Marine land forces. This system will support Naval Missions such as building the Recognized Maritime Picture, Maritime Security Operations, Maritime Interdiction Operations, and provide support for Naval Units operating from sea/shore in Overseas Contingency Operations. This submission is the USNs portion of the program and has been coordinated with the USMC budget submission PE 0305239M (RQ-21A). The RQ-21A BLACKJACK system will continue to evolve and upgrade capabilities to satisfy capabilities shortfalls, new requirements, and reliability, maintainability and safety issues. Upgraded capabilities may include Navy Command and Control integration, Extended Range, Weapons Integration, Heavy Fuel Engine, Laser Designator, Frequency Agile Communications Relay, Digital Common Data Link, and cyclic refresh of the Electro-Optical/Infrared camera. RQ-21A BLACKJACK will continue to expand its shipboard capability across new ship classes. This program is funded under OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT because it includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full-rate production and anticipate funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2021
• Source ID: 0305234N_7_1319_PB_2021
• Change Summary Explanation: The FY 2021 funding request was reduced by $0.157M to rephase 2% of Aviation RDT&E from FY21/22 to FY23. Schedule: - Schedule revised to provide greater detail. Acquisition Milestones, Capability Development, Systems Deliveries, and Contract Awards sections added. Follow-on Test and Evaluation periods updated to reflect Integrated and Operational Test periods.
• Service Agency Name: Navy

Entities

Organizations

• United States Navy

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Cyber
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Aircrafts
• Amphibious Operations
• Command And Control
• Contingency Operations (Military)
• Engineering
• Force Protection
• Ground Control Stations
• Laser Target Designators
• Maritime Security
• Maritime Security Operations
• Software Development
• Surveillance
• Test And Evaluation
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Vertical Takeoff Aircraft

Fields of Study

• Engineering

Readers

• Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
• Naval Mine Countermeasure Systems Development.

Technology Areas

• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs
• Directed Energy
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control