FCS unmanned vehicles move through review

A government and industry team has given the go-ahead for the unmanned vehicles slated for the Army’s Future Combat Systems to proceed beyond the preliminary design review stage.

The team will now prepare for a review of how well the FCS vehicles and sensors work together as a networked system, Boeing officials said in a March 13 announcement. Boeing and Science Applications International Corp. serve together as the lead systems integrator for the FCS program.

The unmanned systems will play a crucial role in providing soldiers with enhanced surveillance, reconnaissance and logistical capabilities, Boeing officials said.

The FCS platforms reviewed were the Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) family of vehicles and its autonomous navigation system (ANS), the small unmanned ground vehicle, the Class I unmanned aerial system, and the Class IV unmanned aerial vehicle.

The MULE and ANS reviews were completed in fiscal 2008 and included all three variants: MULE Transport, MULE Countermine and Armed Robotic Vehicle-Assault (Light), officials said.

The upcoming design review will test the integration of the program’s platforms into a unified architecture and help set baselines for developing prototypes.

The Army established the FCS program to provide soldiers with the most modern and technologically advanced weapons, communications and sensor systems available. The Army expects to provide some capabilities to units as early as 2011.