FTUAS assessments on schedule, third unit to begin testing this month

摘要

The Army is continuing prototype assessments in two units for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System, an effort to replace the RQ-7 Shadow UAS in brigade combat teams, while a third unit begins testing this month.The service started fielding FTUAS prototypes earlier this year to conduct capability assessments, which will be used to inform the requirements for a Shadow replacement. The assessments will last until September and will include six weeks of classroom and flight training, followed by field training exercises.Soldiers at Ft. Riley, KS, kicked off the assessment in April with a soldier-operated flight of Arcturus UAV's Jump 20, the largest of the four FTUAS prototypes being assessed by five units, weighing 210 pounds with an 18-foot wing-span.Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division told reporters on a call yesterday the prototype provided a vertical takeoff ability that gave them a "greater footprint" and movability of units.Lt. Col. Ellis Smith, unmanned systems integration lead for the Future Vertical Lift cross-functional team, told reporters the vertical takeoff and landing capability is a "key aspect" that sets the Arcturus apart from the Shadow."Not only does it free the unit from being tied to an airfield, but it also makes the operational footprint much smaller for a system like the [Jump 20] than the Shadow, which requires a launcher and a runway for recovery," Smith said. "So, you're really shrinking the physical size of the footprint of the equipment required to operate it."