The Marine Corps is seeking to upgrade its capability for protecting installations from small drone threats, with plans to release a Request for Proposals to industry in the coming months.
A pre-solicitation notice posted on Jan. 19 details the Marine Corps’ interest in addressing a capability gap related to the “detection, tracking, identification, and defeat” of small UAS (sUAS).
“To mitigate this gap, a compelling need exists for the development and employment of a counter sUAS capability for installations. The sUAS threat poses unique challenges to military installations when compared to those of operational forces,” the Marine Corps writes in the new notice.
The Marine Corps said it will hold a full and open competition for its pursuit of an Installation-Counter small Unmanned Aircraft System, or I-CsUAS, with plans to award a single, hybrid, Firm Fixed Price/Cost Plus Fixed Fee, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the work.
“Failure to deliver this capability places personnel, covered facilities and assets at unnecessary risk. The Marine Corps requires a modernized C-sUAS capability to counter the evolving threats. To address this capability gap, the Marine Corps intends to use advanced technologies incorporated throughout the full ‘kill chain’ to successfully detect, track, identify, and defeat sUAS,” the Marine Corps said. “This ‘kill chain’ will encompass integrated and networked sensor nodes along with the ability to protect the defended asset both non-kinetically and kinetically as laws and policy allow.”
An RFP is expected to be released in the second quarter of this fiscal year, with the Marine Corps adding the eventual contract will have a five-year ordering period with an option for five additional years.
The pre-solicitation notice for I-CsUAS follows a Request for Information released in November 2022 to gather input on potential solutions and an industry day held last July.