Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has released a memo stating that the second phase of the Department of Defense’s Replicator initiative will focus on countering the threat posed by small unmanned aerial systems to force concentrations and critical installations.

In a Sept. 27 memo, the three-time Wash100 awardee said DOD expects Replicator 2 to help address challenges in the areas of technology innovation, production capacity, force structure, system integration, policies, authorities and open system architecture.

Austin directed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to oversee the development of a plan for Replicator 2 for inclusion in the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request to Congress.

“My expectation is that Replicator 2 will deliver meaningfully improved C-sUAS protection to critical assets within 24 months of Congress approving funding,” Austin wrote in the memo.

The DOD secretary noted that the director of the Defense Innovation Unit will serve as the office of primary responsibility for the initiative and work with the defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment on the effort.

Austin tasked the military departments of the DOD with the development, production and deployment of Replicator 2-related capabilities.

“The Replicator 2 Initiative will leverage the work of the Counter Uncrewed Systems Warfighter Senior Integration Group, and collaborate closely with other ongoing efforts,” the secretary added.

The U.S. Marine Corps has demonstrated for the first time off-board drone control using Link 16 communication on its recent third test flight of the XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aerial system at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. 

The test was accomplished in collaboration with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and industry representatives, the USMC said Thursday.   

The Marines added that the test’s results demonstrated that the prototype connection of Link 16 with Valkyrie meets the initial requirements for the needed autonomous tactical information exchange.

Using the satellite-based Link 16 significantly boosts the integrated and joint operations capability of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, which supports the Marines’ mission to deter conflict while also offering the opportunity to foil adversaries in evolving battlefields.  

The USMC conducted the Link 16-Valkyrie test as part of the preparations for Emerald Flag 2024, a technology-focused multiservice and multidomain training exercise on joint warfare set for October. 

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and the Air Force Research Laboratory previously co-developed the Valkyrie as part of the latter’s Autonomous Collaborative Enabling Technologies portfolio, which seeks to develop a collaborative combat aircraft and other autonomous platforms.

The USMC conducted the first Valkyrie test in October 2023 and the drone’s second demo in March.