Marines want uncrewed systems to sout, carry supplies and maybe attack across all domains
Gettyimages.com/Anton Petrus
By
Nick Wakeman
A new sources sought notice outlines the Marine Corps' search for vehicles and vessels to use in land, air, sea and underwater operations.
The Marine Corps is developing an Other Transaction Authority contract to develop uncrewed systems that scout ahead of soldiers looking for danger and deliver supplies.
And being the Marines -- they want systems that can travel by land, air, sea, and undersea.
Responses to the request for information are March 30. The Expeditionary Missions Consortium Crane is managing the OTA for the Naval Surface Warfare Center.
The formal title of the project is Autonomous Systems to Reduce Risk Warfighters Encounter.
The notice includes three requirements the uncrewed system must meet:
- It must weigh 45 pounds or less.
- Battery life must be a minimum of 30 minutes run time
- The system also must keep pace with a human, between 2.5 and 4 miles per hour
Other questions include how much weight the uncrewed system can carry and how far it can travel at maximum speed and weight. The Marine Corps also wants to know if it can work with the Android Tactical Assault Kit, an app used for standard tactical mapping and situational awareness for U.S. ground forces.
The uncrewed systems should meet Blue UAS requirements, which means that the parts are manufactured in the U.S. or in an allied country.
The Marines are also looking at the possibility of using the uncrewed systems to launch a kinetic and non-kinetic weapons.
Responses to the RFI must be relatively short, no more than a five-page Word document and no more than five PowerPoint slides. No marketing or advertising materials should be submitted.