US Army Battalion Reconnaissance UAS Gap

On May 4, 2026, the US Army published an urgent sources-sought notice for a Battalion Reconnaissance UAS, a production-ready system under 55 pounds capable of 40 to 60 kilometres range and five to ten hours endurance. Industry was given one day to respond. That timeline, and the Army's explicit statement that near-peer adversaries are deploying UAS at a speed and scale that directly threatens US tactical advantage, confirms that battalion-level reconnaissance has shifted from modernisation aspiration to active readiness crisis.