Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS)

Abstract

The Future Unmanned Aircraft System (FUAS) is a critical system in the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) concept that will employ MDO capabilities at all echelons and allow ground based forces to project power from land into other domains to defeat highly capable enemies, secure terrain, and consolidate gains. FUAS encompasses an array of capabilities from platoon soldiers to Division Commanders. The Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) approved the FUAS Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) on 6 Mar 2019. The FUAS ICD includes requirements for Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS), Air Launched Effects (ALE), and Scalable Control Interface (SCI). Manned, optionally-manned, and unmanned systems will penetrate defense-in-depth environments by employing ALE with teaming and swarming effects to detect, decoy, jam radar and communications, conduct cyber-attack, spoof and jam Global Positioning System (GPS), and kinetic engagement. The Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team (FVL CFT) FUAS line of effort is comprised of multiple components including the FTUAS for the Brigade Combat Team (BCT), and ALE. The FTUAS seeks to replace the RQ-7Bv2 Shadow assets within the BCTs. Key attributes of the FTUAS BCT focus on Rapid Deployability, Expeditionary Maneuver, and Mobility for adaptive and agile operations. FTUAS will consist of an aircraft subsystem that will include the airframe, propulsion, avionics, communications, navigation, and software systems; aircraft-specific ground support equipment including power generation, transportation, or command and control equipment; aircraft software; and required engineering, logistics, programmatic support. ALE extends tactical and operational reach, lethality, and protection to the advanced team as an attritable or optionally recoverable aerial capability that detects, identifies, locates, and reports threats; represents a credible decoy; disrupts threat communication, targeting and acquisition systems; and delivers lethal and non-lethal effects against those threats across Multi-Domain Operations. Justification: Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 FTUAS Research Development Technology & Evaluation (RDT&E) Base funding of $40.122 million will be utilized for the following: 1) $16.797 million to support the FTUAS early development, 2) $20.000 million to support ALE Systems Analysis, 3) $3.325 million provides Systems Engineering and Program Management (SEPM) to support FTUAS.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2021
• Source ID: 0604113A_4_2040_PB_2021
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2021 FTUAS Research Development Technology & Evaluation (RDT&E) Base funding of $40.122 million will be utilized for the following: 1) $16.797 million to support the FTUAS early development, 2) $20.000 million to support ALE Systems Analysis, 3) $3.325 million provides SEPM to support FTUAS.
• Service Agency Name: Army

Entities

Organizations

• United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Autonomy
• Cyber
• Electronic Warfare

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Air Launched
• Aircraft Equipment
• Aircrafts
• Airframes
• Command And Control
• Contracts
• Engineering
• Global Positioning Systems
• Ground Support Equipment
• Multi-Domain Operations
• Navigation
• Program Management
• Systems Analysis
• Systems Engineering
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Unmanned Systems

Readers

• Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs
• Cyber
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
• Space