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U.S. Army Selects AeroVironment JUMP 20 Medium Unmanned Aircraft System to Enter Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Program Increment 2

Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

• AeroVironment is the only company to secure an award for all FTUAS program increments, including FTUAS Increments 0,1 and now 2

• Increment 2 is the final phase of the U.S. Army’s FTUAS program competition to select a replacement for the RQ-7B Shadow UAS

The JUMP 20 is shown conducting flight tests and maneuvers on February 25-26, 2021, at Fort Benning, Georgia during the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Rodeo. (Photo: Courtesy asset of the U.S. Department of Defense attributed to Mr. Luke J. Allen). The appearance of U.S. DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

ARLINGTON, Va., March 1, 2023 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced it was selected by the United States Army on Feb. 28, 2023, to move forward in the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) program.

AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 will compete with several other vendors in the FTUAS Increment 2 multi-phased effort which will allow the Army to select the best system for its needs. Ultimately, FTUAS Increment 2 aircraft will be fielded to Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) throughout the Army, replacing the long-serving RQ-7B Shadow UAS.

During the early stages of what would become the U.S. Army’s FTUAS program, AeroVironment’s JUMP 20 demonstrated superior competitive performance and was awarded the FTUAS Increment 1 contract to develop a prototype system to field to one Brigade Combat Team (BCT). Its success throughout the demonstrations led to AeroVironment’s contract award for FTUAS Increment 0, in which the U.S. Army fielded the JUMP 20 into an additional Army BCT within the United States Army Europe. AeroVironment is the only company awarded the FTUAS contract for all three program increments.

“The AeroVironment JUMP 20 is the most mature and capable solution in its class,” said Gorik Hossepian, AeroVironment’s vice president and product line general manager for medium unmanned aircraft systems. “We will continue to work closely with the U.S. Army to ensure we meet their performance needs both today for an all-environment aircraft system and in the future as requirements evolve to meet changing battlefield demands.”

Posted in Army, Contracts, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on U.S. Army Selects AeroVironment JUMP 20 Medium Unmanned Aircraft System to Enter Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Program Increment 2

First-Ever Multi-Domain Effects Crews Increase Readiness at Fort Huachuca

Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — Senior leaders from across the Army converged on Fort Huachuca on Feb. 13, to observe a new development in Army Modernization: the successful conclusion of the 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion’s inaugural exercise, conducted on the newly built 1st Lt. John R. Fox Multi-Domain Operations Non-Kinetic Range Complex.

Throughout the day, the 1st MDEB demonstrated a wide array of non-kinetic effects, highlighting the significance of this milestone in the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force’s path to become fully operationally capable.

The Multi-Domain Effects Battalion, assigned to the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force, has the mission of employing non-kinetic effects to deter adversary aggression in the Pacific.

The commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca, Maj. Gen. Anthony Hale, hosted the visiting party, consisting of almost 50 general officers and senior leaders, to demonstrate the effects of a collaborative effort to create realistic training and to test Army crews on using technologies and hardware that no military on earth has ever before fielded.

“This is a great opportunity for Fort Huachuca to show our unique capabilities in the electromagnetic spectrum on the 1st Lt. John R. Fox range,” said Hale. “We have 700 acres of training area, we have 1,500 square miles of restricted airspace, and since we are surrounded by mountains, we can keep the electrons in our range complex. And this really allows the MDEB to come out here and really test their capabilities to train on their systems that they are going to deploy with into theater.”

Completion of this range complex marks the culmination of two years of collaborative effort, starting when the Chief of Staff of the Army approved Fort Huachuca for a planning task to develop the first multi-domain operations-capable range.

“We have been testing equipment for the Army and for the joint force for over 70 years now we are bringing this training capability, not only to the Army, but to the joint force,” said Hale. “The MDEB is training their teams on their equipment that they will deploy with into theater and use. As we do that in the joint environment, that makes everybody better in our warfighting capabilities.”

Soldiers training on this new range complex emerged with an enhanced understanding of multi-domain operations and their important role in the Pacific region, ultimately to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“This will certainly be a key component of our training program as we move forward,” said Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington, commander of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force. “As our Soldiers go through this training, they are rehearsing their individual and small unit tasks in preparation to deploy forward in theater and operate in a real-world environment.”

This exercise is a major milestone, and a critical part of a massive Department of Defense effort to modernize the force and prevent future conflicts.

“The Army and the Department of Defense is taking on the largest modernization effort in the last four decades,” said Peter Don, Senior Technical Advisor for USAICoE and Fort Huachuca. “We realized that as we modernized our kit, our capabilities, and our formation, our ranges were not keeping pace and would not allow us to work through the next generation of weapon systems, collection systems, and also have us work through our warfighting functions and concepts. So, we wanted to create an environment and a range and a training area that would allow us to train and certify our Soldiers on their weapon systems, but also explore and expose different technology that will allow us to adjust how we need to fight.”

Story by LTC Derek Wamsley, 1st Multi-Domain Task Force

Photos by SFC Henrique De Holleben

Posted in Army, CEMA, Guest Post | Comments Off on First-Ever Multi-Domain Effects Crews Increase Readiness at Fort Huachuca

PEO Soldier Delivers CTAPS to Two Brigade Combat Teams in the Arctic

Tuesday, February 28th, 2023

Project Manager Soldier Survivability (PM-SSV) began the issuing of the Cold Temperature and Artic Protection Systems (CTAPS) system to two Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) of the 11th Airborne Division at Ft. Wainwright and Anchorage, AK on February 13, 2023. Soldier feedback on CTAPS will inform the Army’s next generation Cold Weather Clothing System requirement for protection in extreme cold weather operating environments, with a more modular, adaptable, and packable system.

PM-SSV in conjunction with the DEVCOM Natick Soldier Center worked tirelessly to fulfill the June 2022 Army directed requirement to outfit soldiers in Alaska in support of winter field training exercises, inform the Army long-term requirement for Arctic Clothing and provide the 11th Airborne Division with this improved interim capability.

CTAPS allows soldiers to effectively operate and sustain combat operations in extreme conditions increasing their ability to fight is temperatures as low as -65 degrees Fahrenheit.

The team transitioned the CTAPS from Science & Technology to production and began delivering CTAPS to the 11th Airborne Division within six months of receiving the Directed Requirement. This included transitioning three novel materials to production that had never been produced in large quantities by the industrial base, establishing production contracts with multiple vendors, and ramping up the entire supply chain to support this effort. Currently vendors are producing between 250-400 sets of CTAPS per day and 300-500 soldiers are being issued CTAPS every day.

Posted in Army, PEO-Soldier, Press Release | 5 Comments »

Army Software Factory, USAREUR-AF Partner on Tech Modernization

Tuesday, February 28th, 2023

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, many organizations strive to stay ahead of the curve in terms of technology and innovation. The Department of the Army is no exception, and its efforts to modernize and streamline its operations have recently taken a leap forward due to the agile software development processes of the Army Software Factory, or ASF.

The ASF is a significant step forward in the modernization of military operations. By streamlining an agile software development cycle, minimizing the need for external acquisition and promoting collaboration, the ASF is positioned to deliver innovative solutions to the military.

“The idea here is that we’re trying to meet Soldiers where they are at,” said 1st Lt. Aanand Shah, a software engineer for ASF. “What that means here in Europe is we are able to develop solutions that can work across multiple networks with Allies, partner countries and nations as well as internally within theater.”

During a recent interoperability exercise at 7th Army Training Command the Soldier-led ASF, in collaboration with U.S. Army Europe and Africa Mission Command Support Branch, developed new solutions directly addressing issues that in the past created challenges for U.S. and NATO allied system interoperability.

“My developer initially wrote an application that would bridge data between U.S. and NATO systems from the Army Tactical Assault Kit,” said Martin Christian Dudel, a civilian senior software engineer with USAREUR-AF. “The Army Software Factory came to Europe and helped us modernize the code and take it from a standalone application that must run on a server, into a container that can operate in a cloud native environment on the tactical edge bridging U.S. and NATO systems. This is a capability that we didn’t have before.”

The solution opens an entirely new range of possibilities as now essentially any application can be developed, deployed and seamlessly interact with the data of a partner nation’s application operating at the tactical edge.

“We’ve developed a path to production where apps go from origin to security scanning to deployment into Kubernetes clusters that will run on a TSI stack here on the edge of the battlefield,” said Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Millett, a platform engineer with ASF.

At the heart of ASF is a commitment to continuous improvement and a focus on collaboration. Teams within the ASF are encouraged to work together and closely with their end users to cultivate user stories, share ideas, determine best practices and learn from each other. This helps foster a culture of innovation and ensures that everyone is working toward a common goal of delivering high-quality software solutions to meet the needs of the military.

“It’s incredibly rewarding for our Soldiers to assist USAREUR-AF in accomplishing its challenging mission while we help Army Futures Command design the Army of 2040,” said Col. Vito Errico, director of ASF. “The Army has exceptionally talented Soldiers who can help lead us through digital transformation at the lowest levels.”

Upon meeting with representatives from the 7th Army Training Command’s public affairs team, Col. Michael Kaloostian, a senior leader and decision maker with USAREUR-AF’s G-6 division, confirmed the ongoing collaboration and solutions from ASF’s efforts.

“Our relationship with the Army Software Factory is essential to the command’s digital transformation,” said Col. Kaloostian. “The European theater’s digital landscape is complicated, and it’s our responsibility to simplify it by innovating software-based solutions that are shareable with our mission partners at the speed of conflict. Incorporating a DevSecOps model into our cloud environment assures that we can rapidly meet the command’s operational priorities and truly become data-centric.”

One of 7th Army Training Command’s core missions is to lead the Army in developing Allied and partner nation interoperability by providing the Army with an active learning, near-peer environment to press modernization initiatives. Working with ASF to furnish a realistic operational training environment for U.S., NATO, Allied and partner nations to introduce solutions to the military’s modern challenges is one of the ways 7th ATC works toward accomplishing that mission.

Story by CPT Darryl Padgett

Photos by SSG Ashley Low

Posted in Army, Digitization, Guest Post, Tac Apps | Comments Off on Army Software Factory, USAREUR-AF Partner on Tech Modernization

SMA Plans To Reward Soldiers Who Meet Rising Standards

Monday, February 27th, 2023

ARLINGTON, Va. — By raising the standards of its physical assessment tests and Basic Leader Course, the service will continually challenge its Soldiers resulting in more successful missions, the Army’s top enlisted leader said.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston, speaking during an Association of the U.S. Army meeting Feb. 14, praised Soldiers for their ongoing efforts on one such mission, supporting the conflict in Ukraine.

To allow Army leaders to focus on the larger battle picture, Grinston said Soldiers at the squad level must be proficient in battle drills, land navigation and basic first aid.

“If you don’t know how to stop a Soldier from bleeding, it doesn’t matter if you’re in large-scale combat or counterinsurgency, you don’t know how to do your tasks,” Grinston said. “At the battalion and below, you need to be an absolute expert in your job. Every Soldier in your organization needs to know their job so well that we shouldn’t have to worry about that. [Then] we can worry about the deep fight and long-range hypersonics.”

The Expert Infantryman Badge, which distinguishes Soldiers who demonstrate excellence or proficiency in infantry skills, and the Expert Soldier Badge and the Expert Field Medic Badge form the EIB3.

To qualify for the EIB, Soldiers must complete a new physical assessment test.

During the qualification, Soldiers must don operational camouflage pattern uniforms and helmets, run for one mile, perform pushups and sprints, and push through a sandbag course. Then Soldiers must complete a high crawl, perform a series of exercises with a partner, run a designated distance while carrying weights and finally, Soldiers will finish another one-mile run.

Grinston said the service plans to reward Soldiers who maintain a high level of physical fitness. Soldiers who score 540 or higher on the Army Combat Fitness Test will be exempt from the body composition measurements with a directive expected to be published in March, Grinston said. Soldiers can score a maximum of 600 on the exam.

Additionally, Grinston announced last year that the service will bring land navigation qualification back to the Basic Leader Course.

“What we need to do is continuously challenge our NCOs,” Grinston said. “So that’s one of our biggest changes; make our first NCO course rigorous and bring back a little rigor and field time and the tactics.”

Grinston lauded the efforts of Soldiers who deployed in support of the war in Ukraine, crediting Army units’ swift response times and ability to carry out logistics support to the Ukrainian military.

Within seven days of the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of the Eastern European country, the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division deployed to Grafenwoehr, Germany, where they test fired tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Grinston said. The brigade deployed on short notice after completing a tour in South Korea.

“When Russia invaded Ukraine, your Army knew exactly what we needed to do,” Grinston said. “You should be proud of what we’ve done.”

The 82nd Airborne Division completed its fourth no-notice deployment to Europe to aid the Ukrainian military. Last month the Defense Department announced that it would send 90 Stryker armored combat vehicles to assist the Ukrainian military.

In January Grinston visited Soldiers at Grafenwoehr to watch Army units conducting air defense training with Bradleys. Members of the National Guard have trained and mentored Ukrainian Soldiers.

“The Ukrainians have a huge will to fight,” Grinston said. “Whether it’s air defense, Bradleys or medical [training], they were really motivated so they could get back into the fight. I’m extremely proud of the Ukrainians and what they’re doing. But I’m also extremely proud of our Soldiers at getting rallied around that mission and doing anything asked of them.”

By Joe Lacdan, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Profession of Arms | 1 Comment »

It’s Still Fort Bragg To Me

Sunday, February 26th, 2023

Sure, the Army announced that Fort Bragg will now be called Fort Liberty, but it will always be Bragg to me.

Posted in Army, Morale | 29 Comments »

US Army Announces Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Follow-on Production Award

Tuesday, February 21st, 2023

DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. (Feb. 9, 2023) – The Army announced today the award of a requirements contract with five base ordering years plus five one-year optional ordering periods to AM General LLC for estimated Joint and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) production of up to 20,682 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) and up to 9,883 JLTV Trailers. The total contract value is $8.66 billion. This competitive follow-on production contract has been part of the JLTV acquisition strategy from the beginning and focused on a best value determination that includes retaining the capability of the JLTV today, while ensuring that it can be upgraded in the future with the latest technologies.

The JLTV follow-on contract strategy was designed to provide a fair and competitive environment, while ensuring the Army obtained a premier manufacturer that delivers the highest quality, most capable, and affordable tactical vehicle in the world.

The JLTV follow-on contract request for proposal, in accordance with the Army Climate Strategy, sought to incentivize offerors to propose fuel efficiency technologies that targeted on-the-move fuel economy improvements and anti-idle capability in support of optimizing combat effectiveness. The JLTV A2 design is the first tactical wheeled vehicle with baseline architecture utilizing lithium-ion batteries, which is a key enabler for anti-idle capability.

Effective competition is the critical element for controlling cost and maximizing buying power for the government. The JLTV engagement strategy with industry has been very successful in establishing executable timelines, adding mature technology insertions, and providing transparency throughout the process to allow contractors to make individual business decisions.

“One of the key strategies of the JLTV program from its earliest days was to leverage competition to control cost and maximize buying power for the government,” said Brig. Gen. Samuel L. “Luke” Peterson, program executive officer, Combat Support & Combat Service Support. “From the start of production, the government procured the data rights to the JLTV Technical Data Package from the original equipment manufacturer, which the program leverages to conduct future production competitions and control the platform’s configuration and vehicle price well into the future. These government-held data rights permitted the program to compete this follow-on production contract with much better control of the production configuration and cost.”

To ensure the JLTV follow-on production contract was robustly competitive, the government focused on rigorous communication with its industry partners. This consistent communication strategy included prior notifications to the current contractor that future contracts were intended to be competitive. The original JLTV contract was awarded in August 2015 to Oshkosh Defense, and the Technical Data Package option was ordered shortly thereafter.

“Our industry partners are essential to ensure we deliver critical, advanced technology and capabilities like the JLTV to our warfighters,” said Brig. Gen. David Walsh, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command. “We look forward to partnering with AM General to build upon this proven platform and ensure our warfighters have the latest in vehicle technology.”

Since August 2019, Joint Program Office JLTV actively engaged the light tactical wheeled vehicle industrial base. The feedback received from market research was instrumental in framing the acquisition plan, which was approved by the Army Acquisition Executive in November 2020. The plan:

Focused on and extended the presolicitation period

Provided multiple draft Request for Proposal releases that sought feedback to shape the solicitation and eliminate barriers

Provided lease vehicles to provide a deeper level of understanding for the nonincumbents

Released both the JLTV A1 and A2 Technical Data Packages to provide competitive balance

Enabled multiple static displays and one-on-one sessions with government subject matter experts

Provided a responsive Q&A forum, resulting in active industry engagement (more than 400 questions submitted and corresponding responses.)

The JLTV Family of Vehicles, an Army-led joint program with the U.S. Marine Corps, closes capability gaps in the light tactical vehicle fleets. JLTVs can perform multiple mission roles and are designed to provide protected, sustained, networked mobility for personnel and payloads across the full range of military operations. The JLTV brings increased protection and performance to the fleet; minimizes ownership costs by maximizing commonality, fuel efficiency and reliability; and maintains effective competition throughout its life cycle. Commonality of components, maintenance procedures, training, etc., between vehicles is expected to be inherent in Family of Vehicle solutions across mission variants to minimize total ownership cost.

The JLTV program has been lauded as a model of successful acquisition. It has received two David Packard for Acquisition Excellence Awards as well as Department of Defense Should-Cost and Innovation Awards.

By Sam Tricomo, Program Executive Office Combat Support & Combat Service Support

Posted in Army, Contracts, Guest Post, Mobility | 2 Comments »

Army Announces Three Student Winners in xTechHBCU Competition

Monday, February 20th, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army xTech Program announced three winners of the inaugural xTechHBCU Student competition on February 11, 2023. The winners were selected out of the 16 student finalists who delivered their final technology solutions pitches to a panel of Army judges at the 2023 Black Engineer of the Year STEM Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The xTechHBCU Student competition provided eligible historically Black college and university undergraduate students with the opportunity to pitch their innovative technology ideas addressing climate change, preventative care for Soldiers’ mental and physical health and implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Through its first-ever student prize competition, the U.S. Army awarded three promising young scientists and engineers $8,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place and $2,000 for third place. The winning students also have the opportunity to develop a prototype or seek a patent for their technology solution.

In addition to their innovative technology pitches at BEYA, students also had the opportunity to network with Army and industry leaders from across the research and technology ecosystem and discuss their future careers in STEM. Many of the finalists received on-the-spot interviews and job offers from the Army and industry organizations in attendance that were recruiting at the conference.

Leaders from across the Army enterprise also attended the students’ technology demos to learn more about the capabilities.

“The students who participated in xTechHBCU Student took each step of the competition in stride — from the concept submission and pitch preparation to the final live pitch event in front of a prestigious panel of judges,” said Dr. Matt Willis, director of Army prize competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program. “It was exciting to see these students’ passion for research and development, as well as public service. This year’s competition is an excellent step in developing key partnerships the Army needs to continue driving toward its modernization priorities.”

The winning students of the competition are:

1st Place: Deneen Royal, Fayetteville State University: “AI For Independent Surveillance Missions (ASIM)”

2nd Place: Lirane Mandjoupa, University of the District of Columbia: “Ground-based remote sensing for Airdrops precision system: A data acquisition approach to mitigate supply chain and climate change risks”

3rd Place: Shirley Jacquet, Fayetteville State University: “QTL Mapping and Correlation Analysis of Amino Acids Contents in Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Population”

The finalists represented nine HBCUs across the U.S. and finalists were invited to take part in an eight-week xTech Accelerator program that prepared students for their pitches, educated them on Army priorities and areas of interest, and provided insight into Army career pathways.

“I was greatly impressed by the talent and technologies presented during the final pitch event at BEYA,” said Dr. Travis King, director of basic research and science, technology, engineering and math in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology. “The success of the first xTechHBCU Student Competition reinforces the value of a diverse talent pool, specifically as a driver of innovation in science and technology. Collaboration with these HBCU students early in their careers is essential to the Army developing lasting partnerships with future research leaders.”

Established in 2018 by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, the Army xTech Program strives to integrate small businesses and non-traditional vendors into the Army’s science and technology ecosystem by providing opportunities for direct exposure to laboratories, program executive offices and program managers from across the Army. The xTechHBCU competition series enhances opportunities for HBCU students as it works to develop relationships with institutions that directly serve minorities.

The xTech Program holds several competitions per year, from open-topic competitions such as xTechSearch, to technology-specific competitions targeting specific Army needs and challenges. For all competition information, visit the xTech website.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology provides the American Soldier with a decisive advantage in any mission by developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining the world’s finest equipment and services, and by leveraging technologies and capabilities to meet current and future Army needs. For more information, visit ASA (ALT)’s page on Army.mil.

By Melissa Hirsch, Office of Army Prize Competitions and Army Applied SBIR Program

Posted in Army, Contest, Guest Post | Comments Off on Army Announces Three Student Winners in xTechHBCU Competition