Boeing, Honeywell Autonomy Partner to Enhance Marines’ Tactical Resupply

Near Earth Autonomy is enlisted by prime contractor Survice Engineering to supply miniaturized autonomous flight systems for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 04:31 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

Naval Air Systems Command will test tactical resupply drones equipped with Near Earth’s Firefly miniaturized autonomy system. [Courtesy: Near Earth Autonomy]

Key Takeaways:

Near Earth Autonomy received a $790,000 contract to supply its miniaturized Firefly autonomous flight system for the U.S. Marine Corps' Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System (TRUAS) program.
The Firefly system, developed over a decade of miniaturization, enables unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to autonomously detect obstacles and identify safe landing zones using an array of sensors.
This technology is designed to deliver critical cargo to contested, hard-to-reach areas without putting UAS pilots in harm's way or requiring pre-mapped routes.
The system significantly enhances the reliability and speed of supply operations, reducing risk to military personnel by enabling beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) capabilities.

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A company developing autonomous flight systems in partnership with Honeywell, Leonardo, Boeing, and NASA has been enlisted to put its technology to the test in some of the world’s most demanding environments.

Pittsburgh-based Near Earth Autonomy on Thursday said it received a $790,000 contract—part of a larger agreement valued at $4.6 million—to provide “miniaturized” autonomy systems for the U.S. Marine Corps Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System (TRUAS) program. Prime contractor Survice Engineering, which builds a Group 3 UAS platform called the TRV-150, awarded the contract for delivery of Near Earth’s Firefly system by this summer.