US Army FTUAS

The Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System (FTUAS) was an Army program designed to replace the RQ-7B Shadow drone fleet at the brigade level with a new tactical unmanned aircraft system. The program aimed to provide brigades with reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, and acquisition capabilities that the Shadow had provided for two decades. FTUAS was cancelled as part of the Army Transformation Initiative announced in May 2025. Instead of continuing FTUAS, the Army reopened competition to existing vendors (Griffon and Textron from the cancelled program) and other competitors through a rapid acquisition pathway using commercial-off-the-shelf solutions, with initial Group 3 UAS procurement potentially beginning in fiscal 2026. The cancellation reflected the Army's shift toward faster acquisition methods rather than traditional program-of-record development.