Air Launched Effects (ALE)

The Air Launched Effects (ALE) program develops small, lightweight, expendable drones launched from manned or unmanned aircraft to extend the reach, lethality, and survivability of Army aviation platforms by penetrating adversary anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems for reconnaissance, security, attack, electronic warfare, and kinetic effects. Originating from Army Aviation and tied to Future Vertical Lift initiatives, it remains in development and rapid prototyping with awards like $29.75 million in 2020 for air vehicles, mission systems, and payloads, supporting integration with platforms like Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) and HADES. Strategically, ALE enables manned aircraft to operate at safer standoff ranges against near-peer threats, providing actionable intelligence, decoys, and effects to connect shooters to targets in multi-domain operations.