The Defense Innovation Unit has hosted its first challenge event for uncrewed aerial systems at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California.
During the Blue UAS Refresh, drone users from U.S. military service branches and major program offices evaluated various capabilities to inform the Department of Defense’s ability to scale and deploy UAS and related technologies, DIU said Friday.
What Happened at Blue UAS Refresh?
Over 150 day and night flights occurred during the three-day event and the U.S. military assessed the participating drones’ weight, operating altitude, components and software capabilities. The UAS went through test scenarios that replicated the challenges warfighters face across the joint force.
The platforms were also observed for electronic warfare impact during jamming attacks targeting their command and control links. The event exposed DOD evaluators to various UAS capabilities and allowed commercial partners to receive raw input from operational end users.
Military UAS operators assessed the platforms’ effectiveness and ability to meet current and emerging mission sets at the end of the challenge. They rated the UAS’ modularity, ease of use, mission planning and capability to address capability gaps.
The Blue UAS program provides a list of verified commercial UAS technology for defense use in the United States. To advance the project, DIU will issue a rolling update of the list starting in December and conduct the Blue UAS Refresh challenge annually.