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DARPA awards Squad X contract

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A Soldier assigned to 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, reaches out to catch a belt of ammunition during a training exercise at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, Dec. 2, 2015. The Soldiers partook in an air assault into the training area and then moved to help seize an objective. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Armando R. Limon, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division)

DARPA has awarded initial research contracts to develop advanced technology for dismounted infantry squads.

DARPA awarded Phase I research contracts to nine10 companies for the Squad X Core Technologies (SXCT) program. The winners are Helios Remote Sensing, Kitware, Leidos, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon, Scientific Systems Company, Inc., Six3 Systems, SoarTech and SRI, according to a DARPA news release.

SXCT is pursuing research in four areas:

  • Sensing threats to a squad out to 1,000 meters, including autonomous threat detection.
  • The capability for squad members to identify their own and their squadmates locations with an accuracy of less than 20 feet, even when GPS isn’t available.
  • Precision engagement out to 1,000 meters, with capabilities such as distributed, non-line-of-sight targeting and guided munitions.
  • Disrupting enemy command and communications links and use of unmanned assets at squad pace.

The U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps have expressed interest in future SXCT capabilities.

About 

Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him at theuncommondefense.com. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.