Defense Innovation Unit launches solicitation for Replicator 2.0, new prize challenge for cUAS
The LCD systems will “help to minimize risk to friendly forces, civilians, and infrastructure in the homeland and abroad,” DIU said in the release.
US Marine Corps Cpl. Brian Vile, an intelligence specialist with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, operates a Skydio drone as part of a counter-unmanned aircraft systems field test at Mount Bundey Training Area, NT, Australia, July 11, 2024. (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Migel A. Reynosa)
WASHINGTON — The Defense Innovation Unit and US Northern Command introduced two new opportunities today for industry to bring forward capabilities for counter-unmanned aerial systems (cUAS).
DIU, in partnership with both NORTHCOM and the Joint Counter-small UAS Office (JCO), announced a solicitation for low collateral defense (LCD) capabilities that will “scale across the joint force” and integrate into current small cUAS programs of record, DIU wrote in a press release. The agency added that the LCDs will contribute to the second iteration of the DoD’s sprawling Replicator effort.
The first Replicator initiative, announced in August 2023, was the Pentagon’s plan to push out multiple thousands of “attritable autonomous systems” within two years to counter the threat of China’s growing military. The second initiative, dubbed Replicator 2, is focused on cUAS, the department announced in September.
The LCD systems will “help to minimize risk to friendly forces, civilians, and infrastructure in the homeland and abroad,” DIU said in the release.
“North America faces a variety of non-traditional threats, and key among these is the use of small uncrewed aircraft systems operating near installations and critical infrastructure — addressing these threats is a top priority and essential task,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of NORTHCOM said in the release.
The LCD solicitation will leverage DIU’s commercial solutions opening (CSO) process, which allows the DoD to work with nontraditional defense companies in a more flexible, faster manner, according to the release. DIU wrote in the press release that using the CSO process will “add urgency to defense innovation and clear systemic roadblocks related to LCD acquisitions.”
Further, DIU said that the solicitation aligns with the executive order “Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Industrial Base,” released last month which aimed to streamline acquisitions and accelerate defense procurement.
The solicitation is open for industry until May 16.
Separately, DIU said today it plans to announce a prize challenge in partnership with NORTHCOM looking for solutions to detect, identify and track UAS, though was short on details.
“This challenge aims to enhance the DoD’s counter-UAS (CUAS) capabilities while addressing cost and scalability limitations associated with traditional radars, optical sensors, and radio frequency detection systems,” a DIU spokesperson told Breaking Defense in an email.
