DARPA, BAE partner on multirole unmanned aerial systems

June 5 (UPI) -- The Defense of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is partnering with BAE Systems to develop a new line of multi-role unmanned aerial systems.They are designed to be modular and able to mount different sensor, radio-frequency, and weapons packages.

The contract provides $5.4 million to develop small multifunction UAVs that can conduct multiple missions with a single payload.

"This agility is particularly important in denied environments, where multiple mission functions are typically needed to penetrate defenses and remain operational," Randall Lapierre, technology development manager at BAE Systems, said in a press release. "By enabling small platform systems to share core components, we're helping them become more agile and stay on station longer."

The program is known as CONCERTO and includes radio communications, and radar and electronic warfare systems. It has a flexible radio frequency platform, and will be used for intelligence, surveillance, command and control, and reconnaissance. It can provide networking and combat operations support without any changes to its payload.