The Marine Corps has chosen three corporations to compete for a possible eight-year, $249-million contract to construct new loitering munition methods for dismounted troopers in infantry rifle squads.
AeroVironment, Anduril Industries, and Teledyne FLIR will compete for supply orders to fabricate, check and ship the non-developmental gadgets which are designed to present Marines precision strike functionality past their strains of sight.
The Natural Precision Fires-Mild contract has an preliminary five-year base interval and a three-year choice interval, in keeping with a trio of award notices posted Wednesday.
Loitering munitions are aerial weapons that fly round an space till they discover or are directed to a goal, then crash into it. The concept is to hurry up response instances in opposition to hidden targets that seem for brief intervals of time, however through the use of smaller weapons which are more durable to seek out.
The Corps needs to have loitering munitions in some squads as quickly as federal fiscal yr 2027. OPF-L is a part of that service branch-wide effort to roll out the munitions that may be deployed from the person soldier and from autos.
Marine officers need methods which are man-packable and encompass the loitering munition, associated floor management station, coaching simulator and ancillary gear wanted to help the expertise.