Soldiers fly Performance Drone Works’s C-100. (photo courtesy of PDW via the US Army).
WASHINGTON — The US Army announced tonight that it has selected two drones, the Ghost X from Anduril Industries and the C-100 from Performance Drone Works, to proceed with its Company-Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System program.
The dual contracts span a 10-year ordering period, with the first tranche valued at $14.5 million. While both systems are commercially available and not designed specifically for this mission, the Army said it anticipates that future “operational requirements” could drive design changes.
“The directed requirement for a Company Level Small [unmanned aerial system] UAS capability is a priority…based on observations from the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza,” Gen. James Rainey, the head of the Army Futures Command, said in the announcement. “This requirement describes the importance of considering the UAS as a system, not just an air vehicle, and also highlights the importance of adaptability.”
Both drones, described as “attritable” by the service, will be headed for maneuver companies and are designed to carry various payloads for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions.
Anduril unveiled the Ghost X in 2023. The system is a dual battery UAS the company says has the ability to carry a 20-pound payload and fly up to 75 minutes with a range of 25 kilometers. Performance Drone Works’s C-100 is a man-packable quadcopter designed to ferry up to 15 pounds, for missions up to 74 minutes.
Both drones were on the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS List — an initiative designed to help the services more quickly select commercial systems that are fully-free of Chinese parts.
“By selecting approved platforms that have been on DIU’s Blue UAS List, this effort demonstrates the value of DIU’s approach to engaging with the commercial market and providing the DoD ready-to-scale solutions at speed,” said DIU Director, Doug Beck.
