Army Seeks c-UAS Parts for Potential Small Drone Interceptor Program

The U.S. Army is moving forward with plans to develop a new counter-unmanned systems interceptor program, targeting the proliferation of small drones that have emerged as significant threats in modern warfare. Through a recent request for information, the Army’s Aviation and Missile Center within Combat Capabilities Development Command is soliciting industry partners for critical components to support future C-sUAS Interceptor development.

The RFI seeks mature, commercially available technologies including seekers, control actuation systems, batteries, mission computers, and related components capable of performing at Technology Readiness Level 5 or higher. Components must be immediately available for laboratory demonstration and engineered for compact 40-70 millimeter diameter missiles while withstanding military environments and launch accelerations exceeding 30 G-forces.

“The evolution and proliferation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in mass attack scenarios is currently being demonstrated in global warfare engagements,” the solicitation states. These engagements can overwhelm existing defense architectures, necessitating deep magazines with versatile deployment options at low cost-per-kill ratios.

This initiative directly responds to lessons learned from Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia, where small drones—particularly Groups 1 and 2 weighing up to 55 pounds—have demonstrated surprising lethality, successfully destroying multi-million dollar armored vehicles. The technological challenge lies in defeating Group 1 drones, which present detection difficulties due to their minimal heat signatures and diminutive size.

The Army currently operates two counter-drone interceptor programs. The eXtended Range Counter-sUAS Missile program targets Groups 2-3 aircraft and remains in early development stages. More advanced is the Next-Generation Counter-UAS Missile program, for which AeroVironment recently won the contract with its Freedom Eagle missile system. However, neither program adequately addresses the Group 1 threat spectrum.

Industry responses to the RFI are due by December 19 at noon. This solicitation signals the Army’s commitment to developing affordable, high-volume solutions that can counter emerging small drone threats while maintaining cost-effectiveness across defense architectures.

Source ID: SRCE-2025-1764104674251-959