Army meets with industry to develop kamikaze drone munition LASSO

The U.S. Army has invited defense contractors to a series of Industry Day meetings next month that will be the first steps to developing tank-busting kamikaze drones under the Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.

The Army announced the meeting in a Special Notice contract document last week.

The Product Manager, Soldier Precision Targeting Devices (PdM SPTD) office will meet with industry contractors between Sept. 19-21 to discuss the LASSO program.

The PdM SPTD is a product management office within the Program Executive Office Soldier portfolio. Its mission is to develop, produce, field, and sustain advanced targeting sensor capabilities to increase the lethality and survivability of dismounted warfighters across the full range of military operations.

The LASSO Industry Day meetings next month have a dual purpose: 1) to discuss how the Army can team with industry to field currently available systems, and 2) to create a climate of collaboration to drive both government and industry investments.

The meetings will be conducted in two phases at the Hilton Springfield hotel in Springfield, Va.

Phase I, on Sept. 19, will be an open presentation provided by the government to give the industry an overview of LASSO's emerging requirements. “This is open to all interested vendors,” the Army said.

Phase II will be one-on-one discussions and collaboration lasting from Sept. 20-21. Prime vendors may request meetings with the government. Sub and prime vendors are encouraged to schedule meetings onsite as well. Throughout the industry days, sub-contractors are encouraged to establish a booth space at their own expense to display their capabilities for prime vendor awareness.

The LASSO initiative was unveiled in July with the goal of quickly providing soldiers a portable loitering munition, similar to gear currently being used in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The LASSO system will be a drone carrying a lethal payload launched from a tube by soldiers. The drone would also have an electro-optical and infrared sensor, precision flight controls and the ability to track and engage faraway targets.

U.S. forces have been keeping a close eye on drone activities in the current Russia-Ukraine war.

In July, the Army’s Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office announced they are seeking sources and information to identify the cost and ability to support target procurement, preparation, and piloting of drone swarm attacks for ongoing and future JCO events.

The JCO intends to conduct a demonstration in the 3rd Quarter, FY 2024 to observe current counter-swarm technologies.