US Army wants spy drones to launch from high-altitude motherships
By Jen Judson
Jan 10, 2025, 11:29 AM
An ALE system is launched from a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, as testing commences during Project Convergence in September 2020.
An Air Launched Effects system is deployed from a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter in a September 2020 experiment. (Photo by Spc. Javion Siders/U.S. Army)
The Army is scouring industry for unmanned aircraft systems to launch from medium- or high-altitude platforms that would perform tasks like intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to a request for information posted to the federal business opportunities portal Sam.gov.
The Special Electronic Mission Aircraft Product Directorate, part of the Army’s Fixed-Wing aircraft Project Office, plans to demonstrate operational capability in the fiscal 2026 timeframe, the notice states.
The “Launched Effects” systems, or LE, would be integrated onto “the hardpoints” of an executive jet category aircraft, such as a Bombardier G6500, which would operate above 41,000 feet mean sea level and would reach true airspeed of above 400 knots for more than seven hours. This means the LE and its sensors would need to survive in an air temperature 65 degrees below zero for lengthy durations.
https://www.militarytimes.com/land/2025/01/10/us-army-wants-spy-drones-to-launch-from-high-altitude-motherships/
