Unmanned Systems

The Army's unmanned combat vehicle rodeo in Texas included six companies, some of which offered more than one candidate, putting 10 robotic systems through their paces in a technological maturity assessment for the Robotic Combat Vehicle program.

The Defense Department is looking to enhance information sharing on counter-unmanned aerial system solutions by holding monthly meetings between combatant commanders and service representatives in Pentagon headquarters, with a current emphasis on Afghanistan and Iraq.

The MQ-25 unmanned aerial tanker will incorporate an early version of the Navy's Common Control System, a first step in the service’s long-term effort to create software capable of operating surface, sub-surface and aerial unmanned platforms.

Despite an abrupt reversal on plans to retire the aircraft carrier Harry Truman (CVN-75), the program manager responsible for a large portfolio targeted for investment in lieu of the ship's midlife refueling said he's "optimistic" the Navy will not cut his funding.

The Navy is readying the Barracuda mine neutralizer for a preliminary design review in June, advancing development of a next-generation capability that is slated to be part of a new unmanned and autonomous technology package to clear contested waters for aircraft carrier strike groups and other surface combatants, executing in hours tasks that now can take weeks.

The Air Force is seeking congressional approval for a $12 million reprogramming to purchase counter-small unmanned aerial systems.

The five-year acceleration of a large unmanned undersea vehicle was made possible in part by the work the Navy has been doing with a similar vessel that is further along in the acquisition process, according to a service official.

The Navy is evaluating how unmanned vessels will factor into the fleet and expects to issue a new requirement for autonomous ships, according to a senior service official.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking a $65 million funding boost in fiscal year 2020 for its main portfolio of artificial intelligence development efforts, as well as an array of other increases and new-start projects related to AI and machine learning.