DCGS-MC

The UAS Payloads program, as outlined in Line Item 4787 of the FY 2026 Navy Procurement, Marine Corps budget, is designed to develop, procure, and sustain advanced sensor payloads for the USMC Family of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The primary objective is to address intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability gaps that have emerged due to evolving mission requirements, threats, and technological advancements.

The program supports the Marine Corps' Force Modernization efforts by equipping Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs) and Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) with modular, low-cost aerial sensing technologies necessary for Maritime Domain Awareness, particularly in support of Joint Forces Maritime Component Command (JFMCC) operations.

One of the key goals of the program is to enable Marine forces conducting Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) to maintain persistent awareness of adversary activities, even in communications-degraded or denied environments. UAS Payloads are engineered to sense threat indicators across multiple domains, including the electromagnetic, visual, and radar spectrums, while minimizing risk to personnel through reduced operational signatures.

The integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) facilitates automated recognition, identification, tracking, and cross-cueing of targets. This accelerates battlespace awareness and supports both lethal and non-lethal targeting processes within the kill web.

The program encompasses several distinct payload capabilities. Electronic Support (ES) payloads are procured to locate Signals of Interest (SOI) related to adversary forces, criminal elements, and local threats, enhancing force protection. Wide Area Surveillance (WAS)/Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) payloads provide imaging over large areas at varying resolutions and distances, with features such as full motion video, user-defined watch boxes, and the ability to cue other ISR sensors. These capabilities are essential for monitoring and disseminating processed imagery to ground-based users who may be disadvantaged by limited communications.

AI/ML Payloads are a critical component, placing advanced target recognition and tracking processors on tactical UAS platforms to perform real-time object detection, classification, and identification at the tactical edge. Communication Relay Payloads (CRP)/Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANET) extend communications and data relay capabilities using radios and waveforms. This allows Marine ground units to transmit mission-critical intelligence between widely distributed forces, supporting distributed maritime operations and force survivability.

Additional objectives include the procurement of Modular Payload Interfaces to ensure platform-agnostic integration of payloads, Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) for secure data transfer between classified and unclassified networks, and Common Sensor Workstations (CSW) to consolidate mission management and data exploitation for multiple payloads. The program also funds non-recurring engineering efforts to support the development and integration of these advanced technologies, as well as government and contractor support for program management, engineering, and logistics.

The budget request for FY 2026 continues modifications and procurements across these payload categories. A standard payload suite consists of multiple ES, AI/ML, Modular Payload Interfaces, Communication Relays, CSW, CDS, and WAMI payloads. Procurement quantities and unit costs are adjusted annually based on the fielding requirements of Small UAS platforms and the prioritization of modernization efforts. The program leverages multiple agencies and contractors, including DLA Troop Support, Idaho National Labs, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and Naval Air Warfare Center WOLF.