The Replicator programme selected the Anduril Altius-600, seen here launched by a US Army UH-60. The Altius-600 can be launched from air, land, or sea and stands to provide swarming ISR and kinetic capabilities to small units. (US Army)
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced a slate of airframes set to be included in the Replicator programme in a 13 November statement.
Replicator is intended to speed up the delivery of small unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and counter-UAS (C-UAS) equipment to front-line soldiers. The latest round of Replicator inclusions, dubbed Replicator 1.2, contracts unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and loitering munitions already involved in Pentagon contests.
The awardees from the army's company-level small UAS, Anduril's Ghost-X and Performance Drone Works' C-100, are included in Replicator 1.2. The army announced its selection of both UASs in September 2024, intended to replace the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) at ranges of 10 km (6.2 miles) from their launch sites.
The army requirement was “a high priority based on our observations of what we're seeing globally, and specifically in Ukraine and Gaza”, Brigadier General Cain Baker, director of the army's Future Vertical Lift cross-functional team, told reporters at the time.
“Ukraine has demonstrated the value of small, attritable drones on the battlefield,” said General Randy George, the army's chief of staff, in the Replicator announcement. “The delivery of commercially available company-level small UAS with support from the Replicator initiative will allow American soldiers to rapidly experiment, learn, and innovate with these systems. The advancement of battlefield technology requires us to innovate faster than ever before.”
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