UAS Payloads
Description: The Capabilities Development program provides the capability to develop, integrate, field, and sustain tactical UAS payloads, ground systems, and enabling technologies for Group 1-3 aerial platforms in the Marine Corps Family of UAS primarily focused on Marine Littoral Regiments and Marine Expeditionary Units. The program focus continues on Marine Corps intel priorities of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)/Electronic Sensing (ES), Wide Area Motion Imagery, Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), Communications Relay, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)/ Moving Target Indicator (MTI), Cross Domain Solution, and Common Sensor Workstation.
|
Payload |
OEM |
Description |
|
Bloodhound |
CACI |
SIGINT/ES payload providing real-time passive, single & multi-platform geolocation of radio frequency devices. |
|
Common Sensor Workstation |
Government Off the Shelf |
Tactical data processing and dissemination system that consolidates data feeds from, and control of, multiple payloads at a single workstation, reducing hardware footprint for multiple payloads. |
|
Communications Relay Payload 1 |
L3 Harris |
AN/PRC-163 multi-channel handheld radio and antennae to provide bent-pipe relay of data and voice via satellite communications, line of sight, and mobile ad-hoc networking modes. |
|
Communications Relay Payload 2 |
L3 Harris |
Transceiver that expands the reach of the data transmitted from the VXE-30 UAS to other ground stations so it can be accessed by personnel not co-located with the VXE-30 Ground Control Station (GCS). |
|
Dead Center |
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory |
Provides labels, confidence & geographic coordinates for detection and tracking of targets of interest. Uses AI/ML for highly configurable processing at the tactical edge. |
|
Mod Payload A-kit |
Edge Autonomy |
Mod Payload 5.1 compliant A-kit (hardware, brackets, cables, etc.) that ensures different payloads can mount to the same UAS. |
|
MODSAR |
IMSAR |
NSP-2 radar that provides SAR and MTI capabilities for maritime search and detect. |
|
Tactical ISR Processing System (TIPS) |
Government off the shelf |
Cross Domain Solution that moves full motion video from unclassified to classified networks and can also move STANAG 4586 UAS C2 messages from unclassified to classified or from classified to unclassified. |
|
Visual Detection and Radar (ViDAR) |
Sentient Vision Systems |
Wide area surveillance sensor that uses multiple cameras to simultaneously surveil wide areas of ocean enabling small UAS to cover 300 times the areas of typical narrow field of view EO/IR sensors. |
RQ-21A Blackjack
Blackjack provides the warfighter with dedicated day and night Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) coverage, and communication relay via a dedicated and cost-effective airborne sensor system capable of delivering actionable intelligence to the tactical commander in real time. The expeditionary nature of the Blackjack, which does not require a runway for launch and recovery, makes it possible to deploy with minimal footprint from both austere land-based and shipboard environments.
A system is comprised of five air vehicles, two ground control systems, and launch and recovery support equipment. The air vehicle's open-architecture configuration is designed to seamlessly integrate multi mission payloads, to include day/night full-motion video cameras, infrared marker, laser range finder, communications relay package, Automatic Identification System receivers, as well as the addition of other payloads as determined by requirements.
Specifications
Range: 50 kilometers
Speed: 60 knots
Endurance: up to 16 hours
Altitude: up to 20,000 feet
Wingspan: 15.7 feet
Length: 8.2 feet
Weight: 135 pounds
Original Equipment Manufacturer: Insitu, Inc.