DARPA targets infantry squad effectiveness

Raytheon has been awarded a Phase One contract by DARPA to develop new technologies to increase the effectiveness and safety of infantry squads, the company announced on 21 January.

The contract, valued at $2.5 million, was awarded under DARPA's Squad X Core Technologies (SXCT) programme. This programme aims to speed development of new, integrated, lightweight systems to provide better awareness, adaptability and flexibility to infantry squads in complex environments. The programme will also help dismounted soldiers and marines to understand and control their mission environments. 

Raytheon is a prime contractor for research into technologies for squad autonomy.  The SXCT programme will provide real-time knowledge to squad members about their own and teammates' locations within 20 feet (6 meters) in GPS-denied environments. The new technologies will collaborate with unmanned ground and air systems. 

Tom Bussing, vice president, advanced missile systems, Raytheon, said: ‘We are working to enable ground troops to more effectively operate in urban and complex environments. Raytheon's experience as the systems integrator for DARPA's Persistent Close Air Support programme, which offered distributed coordination between air and ground forces, will provide an ideal starting point to help squads effectively perform manned and unmanned teaming.’