The Capability Program Executive Aviation Uncrewed Aircraft System Project Office has advanced company-level directed requirements by allowing frontline Soldiers to evaluate and directly choose their own Medium Range Reconnaissance drones.
During a weeklong evaluation organized by the Product Office Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, Soldiers from Transformation in Contact units conducted live flight operations and hands-on testing of several Group 2 systems available on the UAS Marketplace. The initiative allows operational formations to familiarize themselves with drone capabilities, transport requirements, crew size, range, and setup procedures prior to procurement.
Following the live flight evaluations, participating units selected up to two distinct drone systems tailored to their specific Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition requirements. The selected platforms will undergo fielding and operational training over the coming months.
Participating military personnel noted that direct involvement in selecting mission capabilities offers a significant operational advantage compared to traditional procurement tracks. Viewing user feedback, verifying performance specifications, and conducting side-by-side comparative evaluations in a single environment allowed unit leaders to make more informed equipment choices.
Throughout the trial, units evaluated platforms based on unit cost, product support availability, integrated payloads, and system configurations. Official feedback from the event feeds directly into the Army’s strategy to accelerate fielding timelines by leveraging commercial off-the-shelf and readily available uncrewed systems.
