The Joint Force seeks a cost-effective, theater-range, massed, and modular Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to provide a flexible, operationally-responsive, risk-tolerant option in the air domain. The ability to employ many aircraft at once ensures a persistent overwhelming credible threat despite inevitable attrition. Massed modular aircraft (MMA) are envisioned as in-theater reconfigurable platforms capable of long-range payload delivery. Crucially, MMA must retain the ability to be outfitted with a variety of payloads, including Full Motion Video (FMV) sensors, to execute missions that the MQ-9A performs today.
Proposed solutions must be capable of full-scale prototype flight testing within 21 months of award, with a targeted Initial Operating Capability in FY2031 (20 mission-ready aircraft delivered to an operational unit, able to be deployed).
Primary Attributes Sought
- risk tolerance – designed for affordable, high-rate manufacture; minimised total ownership cost
- munition and sensor payload capacity – at least 2,800 lbs
- meaningful range – unrefueled combat radius of at least 2,300 nautical miles with payload; able to self-deploy one-way at least 8,000 nautical miles
- maximum interoperability and integration – rapid integration and upgrades via MOSA tenets
Secondary Attributes Sought
- autonomy for control – one-to-many operator-to-UAS control ratio
- resilient and integrated communications – hybrid SATCOM/mesh network connection; execution of local airfield operations under highly degraded or denied primary C2/SATCOM conditions
- tactically relevant – at least 200 knots true airspeed; operation from 6,000-foot runway or shorter
- sufficient SWaP-C – available size, weight, power (25kW) and cooling (5kW) to host a variety of internal and/or external payloads; rapid payload exchange.
US and international vendors are eligible to submit.
At least one of the following must apply to submissions:
- at least one non-traditional defense contractor or non-profit research institution is participating to a significant extent or
- all significant participants are small businesses or non-traditional defense contractors or
- at least one third of the costs of the prototype project will be paid for from funds other than those sourced from the US Federal Government.
Submissions are due 23 July 2026.
