The Army wants vertical-takeoff-and-landing capabilities that will be classified as platoon-level unmanned aerial systems, according to a commercial solutions opening the service released Friday.

The UAS program manager within the service’s Capability Portfolio Executive for Aviation is seeking production-ready VTOL capabilities that will be capable of conducting autonomous reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and communications relay, according to the notice.

The Army is looking for systems that weigh under 19 pounds, include two aircraft with Electro-Optical/Infrared cameras, one ground-control station and “ancillary equipment” that can operate any time of day, and in any type of weather.

“Dynamic mission changes require a system with a common payload interface to rapidly remove and reinstall additional vehicle mission payloads. To meet the demands of this environment, the Army needs uncrewed systems that enable rapid innovation and evolution, backed by a mature production capacity,” the notice states.

Among the ancillary equipment pieces the VTOL capabilities will need is a “universal 110/220-volt battery charger” that is interoperable with “external electrical systems,” according to the Army. Having a standardized charger is expected to improve battery performance in cold weather, and improve reusability in milder environments. The Army is also requesting the VTOL systems are “network interoperable,” which includes being able to share full-motion video and location information with command and control.

The release of the Army CSO comes as the use of drones in global conflicts continues to drive spending surges in the Defense Department, with Friday’s notice pointing out that the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance guidance calls for the acceleration of acquisition timelines and scaling of the commercial drone industrial base.

Ultimately the Army plans to quickly acquire these platoon-level UAS capabilities and onboard them into the new UAS marketplace, which launched this spring. The service plans to field the drones into transforming in contact units, and to meet other “operational mission needs,” the CSO states.

Responses to the CSO are due May 15.

In its fiscal year 2027 budget request, the Army has included $291 million in discretionary procurement funding for the “family of small uncrewed aircraft systems,” which include short-, medium- and long-range reconnaissance, according to budget justification documents.

Each of the three capabilities incorporates modular open systems into its architecture, such as swappable payloads, autonomy and software scalability, according to the Army. The drones are described as “critical” to transforming in contact.

“These systems provide battalion and below-ground maneuver elements with critical situational awareness and enhanced force protection as well as responsive reconnaissance and targeting capability with real-time Full Motion Video and sensor data. Each system will include aircraft, ground support equipment, ground control station and Uncrewed Vehicle Control (UVC) software,” justification documents state.

In FY-26, the Army spent more than $726 million on procurement of this family of systems combined between discretionary and mandatory spending, according to budget documents. The service plans to spend more than $280 million each year through FY-31 on the family of drones under the future years defense program.

-- With research support from Real Time Defense