Near Earth Autonomy has secured two U.S. Department of Defense contracts to advance autonomous aerial resupply technologies, with awards supporting both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. These initiatives aim to expand the capabilities of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in logistics missions across contested and austere environments.
Under a $790,000 subcontract awarded by SURVICE Engineering, Near Earth Autonomy will deliver its Firefly Miniaturized Autonomy System for integration onto the Tactical Resupply Vehicle-150 (TRV-150). This project supports the U.S. Marine Corps’ Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System (TRUAS) program, managed by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) PMA-263 office. The TRV-150, developed by SURVICE Engineering and Malloy Aeronautics, is a Group 3 UAS designed to autonomously deliver supplies to Marine units operating beyond traditional supply lines. The integration of Near Earth’s Firefly system will enable the TRV-150 to conduct fully autonomous navigation, hazard avoidance, and landing zone selection in dynamic operational environments without the need for pre-surveyed routes.
Additionally, Near Earth Autonomy has been selected by the U.S. Army to develop perception and planning technologies for low-altitude autonomous flight operations as part of the Scalable Adaptive Resilient Autonomy Program (SARA). Under this agreement, Near Earth will design, implement, and demonstrate modular autonomy capabilities intended to enhance aircraft survivability in complex, contested airspace. The company’s solution aims to support the Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program and will be demonstrated aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
Near Earth Autonomy’s technologies are designed to operate across a range of platforms, from small drones to full-size helicopters, and are intended to minimize risk to personnel while enabling reliable logistics support in environments where GPS signals may be degraded or denied.
Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth Autonomy, stated that these awards reflect the company’s continuing effort to deliver autonomous solutions that meet operational requirements in increasingly complex environments. The company has previously contributed to programs such as the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) and the Talon Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD).
