Leonardo DRS Counter Drone System for US Army
Last year in July, Leonardo DRS announced that it has received a contract award from the US Army for up to U$16 million, under an urgent operational need, to develop a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capability to protect soldiers from enemy drones. This is being exhibited during this week’s AUSA Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, AL/USA.
As the lead systems integrator, Leonardo DRS works with its teammate, Moog Inc., and additional industry partners to develop this capability. The C-UAS capability includes Moog’s Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP) turret, Leonardo DRS’ mast-mounted Surveillance and Battlefield Reconnaissance Equipment – known as SABRE, and other government-provided technologies. The technologies are fully integrated on two MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles (Oshkosh Defense‘s M-ATV), for a mobile C-UAS capability designed to detect, identify, track and defeat unmanned aerial threats.
“We are proud to support the US Army’s urgent requirement to protect soldiers from the growing threats by small unmanned aircraft,” Aaron Hankins, Vice President and General Manager, DRS Land Systems, said in July 2017. “This effort is a great example of industry collaborating with the army to quickly provide soldiers with a crucial capability, and we are grateful for the opportunity to lead the effort.”
The contract was delivered as part of the US Army’s Mobile Low, Slow Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Integrated Defense System, Increment 1 effort and supports near term testing to inform requirements and government decisions for the deployment of numerous production systems in early summer 2018.