The U.S. Army is advancing efforts to modernize its unmanned aircraft capabilities to support multidomain operations through the Group 4+ Short/Vertical Takeoff and Landing, or S/VTOL, Challenge, DVIDS reported Monday.
The Army's latest challenge highlights the service's push to modernize unmanned aviation and strengthen collaboration with industry. Join defense leaders and technology innovators at the 2026 Army Summit on June 18 to hear firsthand how the service is advancing future capabilities. Book your spot now!
The challenge will involve collaboration with industry partners to inform acquisition, development and procurement strategies for future unmanned aircraft platforms.
The Portfolio Acquisition Executive, or PAE, Maneuver Air is conducting the challenge with support from One Nation Innovation, a nonprofit acquisition intermediary that connects government organizations with industry through a secure digital marketplace designed to support rapid acquisition efforts.
PAE Maneuver Air is one of the six PAE organizations launched by the Army as part of a restructuring effort announced in November.
What Is the Objective of the Army Group 4+ S/VTOL Challenge?
The Group 4+ UAS S/VTOL Challenge aims to create a dual engagement effort between the Army and industry partners, according to a sources sought notice published in December.
Through the challenge, the Army aims to communicate the desired characteristics of S/VTOL systems while obtaining industry feedback on the viability of those platforms and the integration of government-furnished equipment components.
The collaborative effort aims to help the Army outline its operational requirements and future priorities for S/VTOL unmanned platforms while providing industry partners with the specifications and capabilities required for integration.
What Are the Army's Required Capabilities for the Group 4+ S/VTOL System?
The Group 4+ S/VTOL platform will be designed to operate in unimproved areas without traditional launch and recovery infrastructure, a capability that the Army said could reduce logistics footprint and the burden on warfighters deploying unmanned systems. The runway-independent system is intended to support operations in environments where legacy support models are not feasible.
The service branch envisions the Group 4+ S/VTOL UAS as a long-endurance, multimission platform capable of supporting reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition missions while operating in denied, disrupted, intermittent and limited environments during large-scale combat operations.
The Army said the effort also seeks to expand capabilities related to target detection, identification and network extension. The platform will use a modular open systems approach to enable upgrades and integration of emerging technologies while supporting intelligence-gathering and precision strike capability.
