What's next for the Pentagon after the Replicator programme?
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Textron Systems Unmanned Systems has opened an UA) training and maintenance facility, the Unmanned Systems Service & Support Center, in Blackstone, Virginia, the company announced on 10 May.
The facility will house the company’s sustainment operations for its Aerosonde SUAS and its schoolhouse for maintainers and operators. The facility will also support research on UAS integration into national airspace through its Certificates of Authorisation (COA) for the Shadow M2 and Aerosonde SUAS.
The 14,700sq ft facility is spread across two buildings and includes two simulator rooms that can operate up to 12 total flight simulators and three classrooms with capacity for 12 students each. The facility also includes an air vehicle test cell, engine test cell, space for air vehicle assembly, composite and engine maintenance, repair and operations.
Bill Irby, senior vice president and general manager, Textron Systems Unmanned System, said: ‘With this expansion, we have the opportunity to train more operators, maintain additional UAS and continue our research on integrating UAS into national airspace.’
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.