The US Army has selected Teledyne FLIR Defense’s Rogue 1 loitering munition system for its Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.
Under the deal, the company will deliver a LASSO variant of Rogue 1 under a two-year contract, with up to 130 systems planned for testing and evaluation beginning next summer.
Rogue 1 is a man-portable, tube-launched vertical takeoff and landing drone designed for infantry use. It can engage armored vehicles, soft-skinned targets, and dismounted threats while remaining portable and operable by a single soldier without a dedicated launcher or vehicle support.
The system uses electro-optical and thermal sensors to identify and track targets and links its imaging system with a gimballed payload to improve strike accuracy. It is designed to operate in contested environments, including conditions where GPS and communications may be degraded.
“The precision and autonomy of the Rogue 1 platform make it ideally suited to achieve the Army’s goals for LASSO,” JihFen Lei, president of Teledyne FLIR Defense and senior vice president of Teledyne’s Defense and Aerospace Group, said.
US Army LASSO Program
The LASSO program has become a focal point for the US Army’s push to expand infantry-level precision strike capabilities using small unmanned systems.
It is intended to give Infantry Brigade Combat Teams a mobile precision strike option with extended range and reduced collateral risk in complex operational environments.
In May, the US Army selected AeroVironment’s Switchblade 400 loitering munition under the program to support rapid development, delivery, and testing of a medium-range, man-portable system described as a “lightweight tank destroyer.”
Earlier, in February, LASSO selected UVision’s HERO-90 loitering munition to give dismounted troops a portable precision-strike capability against armored targets.
The army has also reportedly requested about $68 million in its fiscal 2026 budget for additional fire control units and loitering munitions under the program.
