DIU, NORTHCOM, JCO announce Replicator 2 counter-drone solicitation

The US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the US Joint Counter-small UAS Office (JCO), have announced a new solicitation for Low-Collateral Defeat (LCD) options supporting the Replicator 2 initiative that can be scaled and integrate into existing Counter Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS) programs. Submissions are due by 19 May, 2025.

The LCD solicitation is focussed on Group 1 and 2 UASs of less than 25kg and that fly at less than 250kt, but the DIU would also be interested in capabilities that might be able to handle Group 3 UASs.

The solicitation calls for kinetic, energy (including new types of electronic warfare) and capture/entanglement solutions for both fixed-site and mobile operations.

This call for novel capabilities builds on multiple efforts to deliver strategic capability and to build new innovative muscle for the Department of Defense, says the DIU. The Australian Department of Defence has a slightly less ambitious program under way, Project LAND156, which is also focussed on Group 1 and 2 UASs.

As drones rapidly evolve from slow, easily identifiable commercial systems operating on known frequencies to faster, custom-built systems, the call for LCD capabilities is geared toward supporting warfighters with the most effective defeat options. These systems help to minimize risk to friendly forces, civilians, and infrastructure in the homeland and abroad, the DIU says.

“DIU continues to work with partners across DoD to accelerate efforts to address UAS threats in both combat environments and highly populated areas,” said DIU Director, Doug Beck. “We are focused on working with industry’s most agile commercial companies to meet the evolving challenges in countering UAS and on scaling those solutions to the level required by the evolving threat.”

By leveraging DIU’s commercial solutions opening (CSO), a process that emphasizes speed, flexibility, scalability, and execution, this effort aims to add urgency to defence innovation and clear systemic roadblocks related to LCD acquisitions, the DIU says.

The solicitation is open for industry submissions until May 19, 2025. The DIU advises that solution providers should expect to participate in shared testing events with other vendors, operators and government developers from each service and be prepared to rapidly scale and integrate into service Program of Record C-sUAS systems.

“We are focused on accelerating capability development, while introducing novel operating concepts,” said MAJGEN David Stewart, Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office Director.