CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) continued its efforts to remain in the forefront of emergent technologies after it hosted a demonstration of a Los Angeles-based unmanned aerial systems (UAS) company, June 24.
The demonstration of the company’s UAS’s showcased its versatility, emphasizing its plug-and-play payload system supporting up to 6 pounds, multiple radio configurations, and diverse control options. In addition, the demonstration highlighted MCTSSA’s motto of “making Marines more capable.”
“MCTSSA is committed to proactively seeking out and evaluating emerging technologies,” said Jay Estrela, senior principal engineer – all domain command and control at MCTSSA. “By hosting demonstrations from companies, we gain firsthand insights into cutting-edge capabilities and potential solutions for the Fleet Marine Force. This allows us to stay ahead of the curve and ensure our Marines are equipped with the most advanced tools available.”
This UAS is an open architecture, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)-Compliant, medium-lift computation drone platform that is multi-mission capable. Its design features versatile interface ports including USB 3.0, Ethernet, and Flight Controller Telemetry, all within a weather- and thermal-resistant airframe, ensuring operational readiness under any conditions.
“[We] develop US-made programmable drones that can think and act on their own,” said Jason Lu, a UAS industry CEO. “[Our] first product is, a high-compute UAV. The system enables on-board, real-time execution of ML models for object detection, classification, visual navigation, AI-assisted geolocation, and multi-asset swarming. It complies with MOSA (Modular Open Systems Approach) open standards to simplify upgrades and ensure interoperability across Joint and Allied networks. The system has a 50-minute hover time with 32 attachment hardpoints and a 2.5 kg total usable payload.
MCTSSA provides 24/7 global technical support for Command, Control, Computer, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (C5ISRT) systems; and conducts research and development, engineering, testing and evaluation, and support experimentation for C5ISRT systems and littoral platforms to inform acquisition decisions and make the Fleet Marine Force more capable.