The U.S. Army approved the characteristics it wants in a Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System after awarding contracts to two teams competing to build the drone. The service approved an Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document, or A-CDD, on May 17, setting up the prototyping development plan for the capability, according to Lt. Gen. Karl Gingrich, Army G-8.
While the Army decided this year to officially retire Shadow, which FTUAS would replace, there isn’t enough funding to accelerate a fielding timetable. Instead, the service is investing money in fiscal 2025 to buy prototypes and fly them over the next few years, Gingrich told Defense News in a May 21 interview.
The Army has tapped Griffon Aerospace and Textron Systems to move into a flight demonstration phase. Among the key characteristics for the FTUAS, the Army wants the aircraft to be runway independent, have on-the-move command and control, and soldier-led field level maintenance.
The Army plans to field FTUAS to the first unit equipped in 2026, Rugen said at an Army aviation conference last month.