The U.S. Army is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help manage airspace operations, as the environment grows increasingly complex with the rapid proliferation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) – more commonly known as drones.
In a request for information (RFI) posted on July 31on Sam.gov, the Army is seeking AI-enabled solutions to help the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors and the Program Manager for Next Generation Command and Control ease the cognitive burden of airspace management and enhance real-time situational awareness.
The request follows a directive from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier in July that is urging the services to accelerate their adoption of small unmanned aerial systems.
According to officials, the Army’s growing UAS is outpacing traditional airspace management methods, which are being strained by the increasing scale, speed, and complexity of operations.
“As the Army continues to integrate advanced technologies and expand its use of [UAS], rotary-wing, fixed-wing, and emerging platforms, traditional airspace management methods are being challenged,” the RFI states.
Officials believe that AI-enabled airspace management solutions “have the potential to address these challenges by leveraging machine learning, predictive analytics, and automation to enhance situational awareness, optimize airspace allocation, and enable rapid decision-making,” the RFI stated.
AI technologies could improve commanders’ ability to deconflict operations in real time, prioritize airspace usage, and coordinate with joint and coalition forces – while minimizing risk to friendly units.
Industry responses to the RFI are due by August 29.
The Army plans to test vendors’ technologies later this year at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center Exercise 26-01. It is seeking a minimum viable product (MVP) to support UAS operations, with readiness for deployment to the 25th Infantry Division by November 2025 to manage contested and congested airspace.