RTX showcases autonomy for launched effects at U.S. Army EDGE event
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 21, 2024

RTX (NYSE: RTX) businesses, Collins Aerospace and Raytheon, recently presented advanced autonomous capabilities at the U.S. Army's Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event (EDGE). These new technologies enabled launched effects to execute missions through a combination of vehicle autonomy and human on-the-loop command. Launched effects refer to small, uncrewed aircraft that can be deployed from ground or air platforms, as well as other vehicles.

During the event, RTX demonstrated two collaborative autonomy solutions designed to detect, track, target, and assess various threats:

- Collins Aerospace showcased its RapidEdgeTM mission system and software, acting as the central intelligence for uncrewed aerial vehicles equipped with different payloads, serving as launched effects surrogates.

- Raytheon demonstrated autonomous capabilities developed under the Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment program and highlighted the launched effects for its combat-proven Coyote family of unmanned aircraft systems.

Both systems operated within a shared data environment, highlighting the effectiveness of modular open system architectures and mesh networks.

"RTX's demonstration at EDGE showed how autonomous sensing and effects can extend the Army's reach, delivering sensing and effects in anti-access or area denial environments," said Ryan Bunge, vice president and general manager for Collins' C4I&A portfolio. "Leveraging capabilities across RTX, we were able to show interoperability between our collaborative autonomy solutions, demonstrating the power and long-term benefits of open system architectures."

The mission system allowed the human operator's goals for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to be translated into actionable parameters, enabling the autonomous team to execute the mission. The system was even able to proceed in real-time when communication links were lost, proving the capability of autonomy for launched effects in advancing Army missions.

The demonstration, sponsored by the U.S. Army Futures Command Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team, aimed to enhance the Army's reconnaissance, targeting, and lethality capabilities through a combination of manned and unmanned systems. EDGE is part of the U.S. Army Futures Command's ongoing efforts to drive modernization and innovation across key Army priorities.

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