CACI Inc.-Federal in Chantilly, Va., was awarded a $9.9 million contract to develop prototypes for a combined arms squad for the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense announced.

The contract covers design, development and validation of prototypes for a combined arms squad, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency began investing in combined-arms squads -- military units consisting of both human and robot fighters -- in 2016.

According to DARPA, combined-arms squads allow soldiers and Marines to fight off electromagnetic and cyber threats at the same time they fight physical ones.

Adding robot fighters to units would improve shared situational understanding of the environment, increase the time and space and allow for synchronization of fire and maneuvering in all three domains, the agency said.

In 2017 Lockheed Martin received a $12.9 million contract for Squad X dismounted infantry combat systems. Squads testing the Squad X system earlier this year wore vests fitted with sensors and moved through simulations alongside ground and aerial systems equipped with combinations of live and simulated surveillance tools.

The contract immediately obligates $5.7 million from fiscal 2019 DARPA funds for the work, which will be performed in Chantilly with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2020.

Bids were solicited online with one being received.

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Army develops hearing protection for military working dogs
(UPI) Nov 28, 2019
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