The US Army has selected three companies for a special demonstration of the Launched Effects-Short Range (LE-SR) system, a key step towards fielding this cutting-edge capability. AEVEX Aerospace, Anduril Industries, and Raytheon will provide their respective systems – Atlas, Altius 600, and Coyote Block 3 – for the demonstration.

This demonstration, called the LE-SR Special User Demonstration (SUD), will focus on refining how the Army can use this new capability. Field artillery, infantry, and aviation Soldiers will test the tactics, techniques, and procedures for operating the LE-SR. Soldier feedback early in the development process informs the Army how to organize units and effectively employ launched effects for maximum impact.

“The LE-SR user demonstration is an important step forward in developing launched effects capabilities,” said Brig. Gen. David Phillips, Program Executive Officer, Aviation. “We are excited to work with our industry partners putting their systems in the hand of Soldiers to evaluate their performance and identify areas for improvement.”

Launched Effects are a family of systems consisting of an air vehicle, effects payload, mission system applications, and associated support equipment designed to autonomously or semi-autonomously deliver effects as a single LE or as a member of a team. The Army envisions the LE-SR system as a lightweight, fast, and agile way to deliver effective, threat-focused capabilities.

“Direct Soldier feedback provided through the LE-SR user demonstration will inform not only continuous LE requirement refinement but also our future warfighting concepts and employment use cases,” said Brig. Gen. Cain Baker, Director, Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team.

In addition to the SUD, the Army will launch a separate effort later this year to prototype the integration of existing industry solutions for LE-SR capabilities, sensors, and effects. This initiative, in coordination with the Aviation and Missile Technology Consortium, has already received interest from 12 vendors. The development of the LE-SR capability represents a significant step towards enhancing the Army’s ability to operate in a rapidly changing and complex environment.