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US Army seeks information on launched effects for Global 6500 aircraft

By Zach Rosenberg |

A US Army artist's conception of HADES, the latest likely platform for launched effects. Although HADES is the army's only planned Global 6500 fleet, the service has not confirmed it as the LE platform at the time of publication. (US Army)

The US Army is seeking information on launched effects (LEs) that can be carried by large fixed-wing aircraft, according to an 8 January request for information (RFI). The army intends to perform flight tests with the Global 6500-LE combination in fiscal year (FY) 2026, according to the RFI.

The RFI specified that the LEs are intended for launch from wing-mounted hardpoints on a Bombardier Global 6500, the same type chosen to fulfil the army's High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) requirement. The service plans a fleet of 14 HADES aircraft, the first of which was delivered in November 2024 to Sierra Nevada Corporation for installation of the Rapidly Configurable-X (RAPCON-X) signals intelligence payload. The first HADES with RAPCON-X aboard is scheduled for redelivery to the army in January 2026.

The LEs and their launching systems must weigh less than 1,800 pounds (816.5 kg) if mounted on inboard wing pylons, or 600 pounds (272.2 kg) if using outboard pylons; LEs reaching either size would likely outweigh any publicly known examples.

Anduril Altius 700Ms and other relatively small LEs have demonstrated launches from larger unmanned aerial vehicles (such as Kratos XQ-58) at relatively low altitudes, but the army RFI seeks LEs that can survive extended exposure to (and perhaps launch from) an altitude of 41,000 ft or higher and speeds of 400 kt or more; it is unclear whether any LEs on the market can survive such conditions.

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