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The Leidos Artemis prototype.
The U.S. Army has awarded Leidos a major sustainment contract for its future high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) fleet as the company is competing for an upcoming program of record.
The service’s Project Director Sensors-Aerial Intelligence and the Army Contract Command recently awarded the company the Development, Integration, Acquisition, Bridging Logistics and Operations (Diablo) contract. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract includes a five-year base with a five-year option, with an estimated value of up to $631.2 million.
Under Diablo, Leidos will provide airborne ISR life cycle requirements, including upgrades and sustainment.
The award comes as the Army is preparing to select the lead systems integrator for the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES). HADES will be a fleet of Bombardier Global 6500s outfitted with sensors and radars to provide high-altitude deep sensing and targeting for Army long-range fires. HADES will replace the Army’s RC-12 Guardrails and will be able to fly higher and longer with improved sensors.
Leidos has teamed with MAG Aerospace and L3 Harris to compete for HADES against Sierra Nevada Corp. MAG and L3 Harris are building two prototypes to inform the HADES process, while SNC is building two others. These four make up the Army Theater-Level High Altitude Expeditionary Next (Athena) fleet and are expected to begin to be fielded this year.
Leidos is flying its own two prototypes as part of the Army’s program, called the Airborne Reconnaissance and Targeting Multi-Mission System (Artemis). These are modified Bombardier Challenger 650s that have been deployed to provide real-world ISR, including in eastern Europe amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Leidos in July 2023 also received a contract from the U.S. Army to begin training pilots for the programs, using two Bombardier Global 6000-class aircraft. The company’s training will run for 16 months at Fort Bliss, Texas.
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