Leidos has won a contract from the US Marine Corps to develop an autonomous uncrewed aerial resupply system for forward-deployed ground forces.
The company has been tasked with producing a single autonomous medium unmanned logistics system-air (MULS-A) prototype, which will be developed, delivered, and demonstrated under an 18-month contract.
The ultimate goal is to have the UAS execute logistics distribution missions at the tactical edge of the battlefield.
The UAS prototype is intended to carry a logistics payload of 300-600 pounds within a radius of 25 to 100 nautical miles to a combat area.
To develop the SeaOnyx prototype, Leidos partnered with Phenix Solutions, a veteran-owned small business defense contractor that specializes in developing UAS aircraft for various missions. Work under the contract will be conducted at various locations throughout Colorado, Ohio, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona.
“The capacity to independently transport hundreds of pounds of supplies over extensive distances will be a game-changer for the warfighter. We are excited to showcase the capabilities of the Leidos’ SeaOnyx solution, which will provide a significant logistics advantage to the Marines and other branches of the military,” stated Tim Freeman, senior vice president and operations manager of airborne solutions at Leidos.
SeaOnyx wil not be the only cargo drone prototype the US Marine Corps has experimented with. The service has been testing what it refers to as tactical resupply unmanned aircraft systems (TRUAS) since 2021, when it tested TRV-150 and MK4-RX UAS and their ability to transport at least 60 pounds of cargo.
The service is also replacing the GPS-steered parachutes (JPADS) with a Silent Arrow autonomous cargo delivery aircraft.
