Long-Range, Expendable Autonomous Air Vehicle for Distributed Effects in Contested Environments
Summary
The government seeks to develop, integrate, flight‑test, and demonstrate an affordable, expendable autonomous air vehicle capable of delivering a payload over ranges of 400 to 1,200 nautical miles in contested, communications‑degraded and GNSS‑denied environments. This effort emphasizes long‑range propulsion efficiency, resilient navigation, modular payload integration, and low‑cost manufacturing, making the advanced autonomous aircraft the central focus of the procurement.