The U.S. has awarded contracts to five companies for its Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Increment 2 effort. The awards were issued through an Other Transaction Agreement with the Aviation & Missile Technology Consortium, an ATI collaboration.

The five companies selected are AeroVironment, Griffon Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Textron Systems. The Increment 2 consists of five stages, with the final option stage having the contestants deliver four air vehicles each. For the program, the Army seeks a rapidly deployable “premier vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft,” which is expected to provide a tactical advantage over current systems due to increased maneuverability, improved command and control, a reduced transportation and logistics footprint, and improved survivability.

The OTA consortium model fosters a collaborative ecosystem made up of industry and academia, including non-traditional defense contractors. This model helps the federal government accelerate innovative R&D and reach non-traditional partners to quickly acquire novel and emerging technologies.

When ACC Redstone Arsenal and Army CCDC Aviation & Missile Center sought a consortium to develop aviation and missile technologies, the National Armaments Consortium (NAC) and Vertical Lift Consortium (VLC) teamed to form AMTC in 2018, with ATI as the consortium manager. ATI, a nonprofit, helps the government quickly acquire novel technologies by building and leading innovative R&D collaborations, including AMTC, NAC, and VLC.

About the Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium

The AMTC’s mission is to foster collaboration among Government, industry, and academia to rapidly develop and mature guided missile technologies, manufacturing and enabling/disruptive technologies, and aviation technologies to meet U.S. Army and DoD requirements and enhance our national security. AMTC is supported by Advanced Technology International.