Each year, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) reviews the United States (U.S.) defense budget to determine funding that will support the research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) and procurement of unmanned vehicles (UxV) and associated technologies. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, over 1,000 unique efforts were identified as having past, present, or future support of UxV systems accounting for estimated appropriations of $7.5 billion. Similar research is underway for FY 2022 and some preliminary analysis will be discussed in this report. 
 

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Highlights 

UAVs are well-established in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and have proven their ability to conduct reconnaissance and successfully target and destroy US adversaries. For FY 2022, four UAV programs from the Navy and Marine Corps top the list of requested funding: 

1. The Marine Group 5 UAS program is a new start in FY 2022 with $233.686 million requested which will procure six MQ-9A Reaper Extended Range (ER) vehicles and supporting technologies like Ground Control Stations (GCS), mission control management, networking and communication infrastructure, SATCOM and terrestrial network connectivity, training devices, and site stand up at designated locations. A new start for the RDT&E of this platform has also been initiated in FY 2022 with $16.879 million that will enable the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Expeditionary (MUX) Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MUX MALE) to address capability gaps identified in the October 2016 MUX Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) and associated Requirements Clarification document. The MUX MALE will provide stand-off sensing and Command, Control, Communication, and Computers (C4) capabilities while enhancing domain awareness and survivability and further broadening its sea-control/sea-denial capabilities.
2. The Navy’s MQ-25 is operated from aircraft carriers to meet aerial refueling requirements which extend the combat range of deployed manned fighter aircraft. The MQ-25 Air System (AS) RDT&E program requests $222.373 million which will enable initial flights of an Engineering Development Model (EDM) controlled by the Unmanned Carrier Aviation (UCA) Mission Control System (UMCS). If appropriated, this would also enable the completion of production and flight testing of the three remaining EDMs as well as continued development of the GCS software and hardware required for ship and shore installations. The requested amount represents an 8% increase from the FY 2021 appropriated amount and a 19% increase from the projected FY 2022 funding that was forecasted last year. Further support for the UMCS is allocated under a procurement line with a potential value of $86.584 million in FY 2022 – more than double the FY 2021 appropriated amount. This will fund the installation of the system onboard Naval aircraft carriers and includes hardware such as the UCA Transport System (UTS), a Video Management System (VidMS), two Air Traffic Control (ATC) Situational Awareness systems, two Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Digital Modular Radio (DMR) Communication Systems, and one MUOS DMR shore-based communication system. The MQ-25 recently accomplished a historic milestone in early June 2021 as it performed the first successful aerial refueling of a manned F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet1.
3. The FY 2022 budget request indicates a pause in production for the MQ-4C Triton with procurement of the Multi-Intelligence-configured vehicle beginning in FY 2023. Therefore, the $160.151 million requested will be used primarily for support costs such as training equipment, ground support equipment and the progression to Baseline Early Operational Capability. Outlook funding for future procurement is not included in this year’s budget request. However, in last year’s request, the FY 2023 funding was expected to reach $624.87 million and the cost to complete procurement of the MQ-4C was estimated to be about $6.45 billion. The MQ-4C can operate over vast ocean and coastal regions to provide persistent real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). 
4. Aerial Target Systems are UAVs designed to represent potential threats U.S. forces might encounter in combat situations and enable the test and evaluation of weapons systems that counter those threats. Aerial Targets for the Navy continue to see strong support in FY 2022 with a funding request of $150.339 million (this was reduced slightly given the availability of prior year execution balances). This will include the procurement of 45 BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Targets (SSATs), 14 GQM-163A Supersonic Sea Skimming Targets, and avionics upgrade kits for a range of target platforms. 

Other noteworthy UAV programs that received increased funding in FY 2022 include: 

• The Army’s Future Unmanned Aircraft System (FUAS) with a request of $69.697 million. Over half of that funding will support component development for Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) with the remainder dedicated to competitive prototyping and integration efforts for FTUAS as well as Air Launched Effects (ALE) Systems Analysis.  
• The Air Force Vanguards program under the sub-project Skyborg requested $58.57 million to develop and demonstrate the Skyborg Autonomy Core System. This system will enable situational awareness, advanced autonomous behaviors, survivability, and human-machine teaming for unmanned systems. The program will also develop an autonomous low-cost weapon system. 
• The SOCOM UNMANNED ISR effort requested $55.951 million to acquire 30 Group 1 Short Range/Short Endurance Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) systems, 40 Group 1 Micro VTOL systems, advanced payload suites, and other ancillary equipment. This represents a 71% increase from FY 2021 and is more than double the projected FY 2022 funding that was forecasted last year. 

 

Unmanned Ground Vehicle Highlights 

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) are powerful tools for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) soldiers that enable the remote investigation of potentially hazardous environments while keeping their human operators at a safe distance. UGVs can also support logistics operations by relieving ground forces from loads traditionally carried by each soldier and adding the potential for the deployment of new capabilities at the platoon or even squad level. For FY 2022, $124.233 million was requested under the Army’s Robotics and Applique Systems to procure 459 Man Transportable Robotics System Increment II (MTRS Inc. II), 148 Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) systems, and 213 Common Robotic System (Individual) (CRS(I)) along with associated controllers, mission payloads, software sustainment and other supporting technologies. While this program leads all others in terms of funding for UGVs, it does represent a 28% decrease from FY 2021 and a similar decrease from the projected FY 2022 funding that was forecasted last year. Some other programs of significance include: 

• The Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) sub-project which is financed in the Ground Based Anti-Ship Missile. Efforts in this project will develop ground-based missile launchers and weapon control systems that are operated from a remote carrier platform to provide anti-access/area denial, anti-ship capability. FY 2022 requested funding increased by 246% from the FY 2021 appropriated amount for a total of $102.716 million. 
• The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) effort has requested $84.45 million in FY 2022 which will include integration of a range of technologies onto prototype platforms such as the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS-J), the XM813 Bushmaster Chain Gun, the MCT-30 remotely operated weapons turret, obscuration, amphibious kits, marsupial unmanned system, electronic warfare, counter UAS, and chemical/biological sensors. This project will also support modeling/simulation costs associated with virtual experimentation as well as the completion of shakedown testing followed by safety release testing at the Army Test and Evaluation Command. Costs for this program were further broken down in FY 2022 which precipitates a decrease of about 5% from FY 2021 and a 40% cut from the projected FY 2022 funding that was forecasted last year. These decreases are also associated with the transition of the RCV prototypes to the evaluation phase. 
• Funding for the Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) (formerly Sustained Combat Operations in Undefined Terrain (SCOUT)) project more than tripled in FY 2022 with a potential value of $35 million. This would demonstrate off-road autonomy simulation as well as off-road speeds and interventions comparable to human drivers in increasingly complex environments. 
• The Combat Vehicle Robotics Advanced Tech program also sees a potential increase of more than triple the FY 2021 appropriated amount at $26.777 million in FY 2022. Safety standard and optimization of drive by-wire systems for robotic ground vehicles will be a particular focus to ensure readiness and validation for testing at the Engineering Evaluation Testing (EET). Funds will also be utilized for the Soldier-Robotic Interface Integration which will improve Manned/Unmanned Teaming to increase operator standoff and enable control of multiple platforms. These developments will also be demonstrated at the EET. 

 

Unmanned Maritime Vehicle Highlights 

Unmanned maritime vehicles (UMV) operate on the ocean’s surface and underwater with primary mission sets including MCM, ISR, and ocean battlespace sensing. The Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) is envisioned as a long-endurance autonomous ship capable of integrating combat systems and payloads for Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) and Strike missions. The LUSV RDT&E program leads all others in terms of funding for UMVs with a request of $144.846 million in FY 2022 which represents an increase of 108% from the FY 2021 appropriated amount (though it does signify a decrease of 62% from the projected FY 2022 funding that was forecasted last year). The increased funding would support land- and sea-based prototyping, testing Integrated Combat System (ICS) developments, machinery qualification plans, development of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) systems, autonomy software and laboratories, perception and sensing systems, and other key enabling technologies. There is also an emphasis on the alignment of efforts that can be utilized across other USV platforms including the Medium USV (MUSV) and other future USV developments.  

The MUSV is an affordable, high endurance ship integrated with modular ISR payloads that enable Battlespace Awareness. FY 2022 funding for MUSV totals $60.028 million which is only about a 9% increase from FY 2021 but is more than double the projected FY 2022 funding that was forecasted last year. The change is attributed to an increase in the need for Seahawk and Seahunter support as well as the introduction of the Seahunter/Seahawk Milcomms Upgrade. There is also a significant increase in test and evaluation support as the first MUSV prototype transitions from construction and integration into Sea Trials. Leidos announced that the Seahawk was delivered to the Navy in early April 2021. 

The Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles program is the second highest UMV effort with regard to requested funding at $88.063 million in FY 2022 – an approximately 42% increase from the FY 2021 appropriations. The “Snakehead” Large Displacement UUV (LDUUV) is a modular submarine-launched vehicle that will deliver a platform with high payload capacity and extended endurance capabilities. The base plans in FY 2022 indicate Phase 1 testing and integration on a host submarine, Phase 1 fleet demonstration and in water tests, as well as completion of the source selection process and award of the Phase 2 contract in the first quarter of the year. 

The Advanced Undersea Prototyping-Vehicles, Propulsion & Navigation program funds the Orca extra large UUV (XLUUV) platform which is designed to execute critical missions such as undersea operational awareness and payload delivery. The FY 2022 funding request includes $58.473 million, a 35% decrease from FY 2021 though it is an increase of 36% from the projected FY 2022 funding that was forecasted last year. FY 2022 base plans for this effort involve Phase 2 fabrication of initial vehicles with an expected delivery in the second quarter of the year. The decrease has been attributed to the planned ramp down of funding on the prime contract. 
 

Conclusion 

Unmanned systems that are under development and in operation within DOD represent a diverse group of technologies which enhance the operations of deployed forces and can replace soldiers in dangerous environments. Robust investments in RDT&E are critical for supporting advanced systems that maintain U.S. military competitiveness, and AUVSI calls on Congressional appropriators to fully fund systems that support the warfighter today and prepare for the threats of tomorrow. AUVSI will also continue to review the U.S. DOD’s budget and provide further updates as well as detailed information on the range of programs that support these systems.