Unmanned systems initiative: supporting immediate warfighter needs and army transformation

Unmanned systems have emerged as a critical warfighting capability for operation Iraqi freedom (OIF) and operation enduring freedom (OEF) and form a cornerstone of the Army's transformational flagship program, future combat systems (FCS). The unmanned systems initiative (USI), a congressionally supported program managed by the US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC), is responding to these challenges by promoting an integrated approach to unmanned systems research and development. First year successes in FY04 included standing up and successfully demonstrating the USI distributed live/virtual testbed, as well as four transition efforts that had immediate OIF impact. In FY05, the focus is integration, weaponization, and collaboration, aimed at increasing technology transition to project managers (PMs) in response to immediate OIF/OEF needs, accelerating Science and Technology (S&T) readiness, strengthening joint and interagency connectivity, and exercising the USI virtual/live distributed testbed for tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) development. FY06 activities build upon successes in FY04 and FY05, and guided by priority warfighter needs to be identified by the unmanned air and ground PM and user organizations.