DENVER —The Army has awarded Textron Systems [TXT] and
Griffon Aerospace the third and fourth contract options for Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) Inc. 2 program, which will include flight tests in fiscal year 2025.
The announcement of the next phases for FTUAS Inc. 2, which is the Army’s Shadow drone replacement program, follows the conclusion of the second option period that culminated in a critical design review with the two firms’ prototype offerings.
“Those two competitors will get their aircraft built, ground tested and then we will go into FY ‘25 and flight test them and then get them into users’ hands for operational feedback,” Brig. Gen. David Phillips, program executive officer for aviation, told reporters at the Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit here. “We want to make sure that process is very robust because immediately after that we’ll look at options to be able to procure faster”
The Army announced in late September it had chosen Textron and Griffon Aerospace to move forward in the FTUAS Inc. 2 program, and did not select Northrop Grumman [NOC] and Sierra Nevada Corporation after participating in the first option period (Defense Daily, Sept. 26 2023).
AeroVironment [AVAV], which had provided its JUMP 20 drone as an interim FTUAS solution, was previously eliminated from the Inc. 2 prototyping effort last May (Defense Daily, May 24 2023).
Textron is offering its Aerosonde Mk. 4.8 Hybrid Quad UAS and Griffon Aerospace is offering its Valiant drone platform for the FTUAS program.
“We are ready to build on Textron Systems’ decades of experience in UAS design, manufacturing and systems integration by further advancing our FTUAS offering during program Options 3 and 4. Our mature ecosystem enables us to support the full life cycle of the system and the Army’s mission requirements,” Wayne Prender, the company’s senior vice president for air systems, said in a statement. “FTUAS program Options 3 and 4 give us the opportunity to demonstrate our Aerosonde Mk. 4.8 HQ UAS and further advance its capabilities before delivering a system for customer test and evaluation. We look forward to building on the valuable voice of the customer during these demonstrations, along with Textron Systems’ decades of experience in UAS integration, to provide a mature, reliable system to the Army.”
The Army on Thursday said Option 3 for FTUAS Inc. 2 will include flight demonstrations, third-party verification for Modular Open Systems Architecture, a soldier touchpoint and “focuses on testing key systems characteristics including Vertical Takeoff and Landing, reduced acoustic signature, and rapid emplacement.”
In the Option 4 period, Textron and Griffon Aerospace will deliver production representative prototypes to the Army for further testing and operational demonstrations that will culminate in a production readiness review.
“Additionally, Option 4 includes environmental, electromagnetic and environmental effects, transportability and flight tests,” the Army said on Thursday.
The Army has said FTUAS aims to replace the legacy Shadow drone, also built by Textron, with a “vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), runway-independent, reduced acoustic signature aircraft that can be transported organically while providing commanders with ‘on the move’ reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition capabilities.
The value of the Options 3 and 4 award was not disclosed on Thursday.