US Army Completes Demonstration of Altius 700 System for Launched Effects Program

The U.S. Army’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Program Management Office and the U.S. Special Operations Command have concluded a two-flight demonstration that included the first launch of the Air-Launched, Tube-Integrated Unmanned System 700 air vehicle.

Altius 700 is part of Launched Effects, an Army program to detect and identify pacing threats in contested environments through teaming between crewed and uncrewed systems, DVIDS reported Thursday. Such capability is intended to provide commanders with effective targeting to execute fires and effects when needed.

According to the Army, the demonstration verified Altius 700’s capabilities from launch to recovery and yielded insights to enhance design and procedures ahead of planned test flights starting in early 2024.

The series of flights is expected to conclude with a final operational demonstration by the end of fiscal year 2024, followed by a rapid fielding decision in 2025.

News of the demonstration’s success comes after the Army awarded other transaction agreements to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to develop payloads for the Launched Effects program.