Top of Marines’ wish list: More capable drones, and ways to kill them
“What’s the future in your space?” Gregg Skinner, program manager for Navy and Marine Corps small tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), asked a mixed audience of military and industry. “Group 5 capability, in a Group 2 [drone], at a Group 1 price.”
MODERN DAY MARINE 2024 — A Marine official tasked with the acquisition of small drones has a clear message for industry: He needs manufacturers to invest their internal resources to develop uncrewed systems at a lower cost and smaller size, but that wield the same capability as some of the larger systems currently on the market.
“What’s the future in your space?” Gregg Skinner, program manager for Navy and Marine Corps small tactical uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), asked a mixed audience of military and industry on Thursday at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington. “Group 5 capability, in a Group 2 [drone], at a Group 1 price.”
The Pentagon classifies drones in a series of “groups” from 1 to 5 — 1 being the smallest and typically most inexpensive, such as a quadcopter, and 5 being the largest like an MQ-9 Reaper. Larger drones tend to have greater endurance and increased capacity for more sophisticated sensors and weapons.
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