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Air Force Special Ops Seeks Backpack FPV Kamikaze Drones in New RFI

The Air Force set an April 17 deadline for industry responses to define a backpack-portable FPV strike option for Special Tactics teams.

Overview

  • The request details a minimum 10-kilometer range with a goal beyond 20 kilometers, 15–30 minutes of endurance, and a 1.5–3 kilogram fragmentation warhead.
  • It requires GPS navigation with operation when GPS is denied, integration of 4G/LTE/5G connectivity, true frequency hopping, and an optional repeater to extend control and video links past 20 kilometers.
  • The complete two-drone kit must be backpack-portable under 30 pounds, be launch-ready in under three minutes—ideally under one—and use the ATAK UAS interface for control.
  • AFSOC intends to equip Special Tactics units so they can execute organic precision strikes within core mission sets including Global Access, Precision Strike, and Personnel Recovery.
  • The notice is a market-research step rather than a purchase and tracks with wider Pentagon efforts such as the $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program aimed at scaling low-cost Group 1 systems.