Air Launched Effects (ALE) experiment at Project Convergence 21

 

UNITED STATES - 10.07.2021
During Project Convergence 21, the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team experimented with using Air Launched Effects (ALE) to help Soldiers see the battlefield and extend their reach. Testing with Soldiers in the field allowed the FVL CFT to gain valuable feedback on this emerging capability! 

Air Launched Effects (ALE) are a Family of Systems (FoS) consisting of an air vehicle, payload(s), mission system applications, and associated support equipment designed to autonomously or semi-autonomously deliver effects as a single agent or as a member of a team.

ALE is a crucial piece of the Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft Ecosystem advanced team concept synergistically enhancing survivability, threat identification, targeting, and lethality of Army aviation brigades and ground force commanders’ assets.

The ALE FoS extends tactical and operational reach and lethality of manned assets, allowing them to remain outside of the range of enemy sensors and weapon systems while delivering kinetic and non-kinetic, lethal and non-lethal mission effects against multiple threats, as well as, providing battle damage assessment data. They will provide scalable effects to detect, locate, disrupt, decoy, and/or deliver lethal effects against threats.

As relatively low cost systems, they are attritable or optionally recoverable. Using a Modular Open Systems Approach provides modularity and rapid integration of new technologies.

PFC Ethan Loudermilk from the 82nd Airborne Division and the civilian personell discusses training with and learning Air-Launched Effects during Project Convergence 21 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.

Project Convergence is the Army's campaign of learning designed to aggressively advance and integrate our Army's contributions, based on a continuous structured series of demonstrations and experiments throughout the year. It ensures that the Army is part of the joint fight and can rapidly and continuously integrate or converge effects across all domains: air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace; to overmatch our adversaries in competition and conflict.

Project Convergence ensures the Army has the right people with the right systems, properly enabled in the right places to support the joint fight.

(US Army video by PFC. Vincent Levelev)