The U.S. Marine Corps has selected first-person-view, or FPV, unmanned aerial vehilces from Auterion, ModalAI, Neros and Nokturnal to move to the next stage of the Defense Innovation Unit’s Project G.I. The proposed solutions from the four companies will now undergo National Defense Authorization Act compliance and cybersecurity review, DIU said Thursday.
The selection was made after eight days of flight demonstrations at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California. The demonstration is part of the FPV tactical kinetic effects Phase of Project G.I.
Military evaluators also picked a component from Kraken Kinetics to move forward in the program.
Learn more about worldwide requirements for FPV UAVs at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 GovCon International and Global Defense Summit on October 16!
What Is Project GI?
Project G.I. is DIU’s agile development and deployment effort for uncrewed aerial systems and supporting items. It is designed to rapidly identify, assess and integrate “ready-now” autonomous technologies at scale to support warfighters.
The program has three phases: proposal evaluation and downselection, live demonstration, and further maturation, procurement and delivery.
DIU a request for proposals for Project G.I. in June.
Next Steps for FPV Platforms
Once deemed compliant with the required defense standards, the selected FPV platforms may be added to the DIU’s Blue Unmanned Aircraft System and Framework, the military catalog for drones and related components pre-approved for use across the Department of Defense.
The technologies will also continue to develop and improve capabilities based on end-user feedback from the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, the Marine Corps’ designated unit, through a series of three 60-day sprints. Testing will be carried out in representative electronic warfare environments across various geographic locations.
DIU may announce additional winners in the future.
