What is the aim of USMC Small Unit Remote Scouting Systems (SURSS) or Small UAS (SUAS)?

• A. Equip regiment, battalion and below with organic airborne battlespace awareness capability
• B. Provide long-range strategic surveillance
• C. Replace manned reconnaissance aircraft entirely
• D. Focus on coastal defense

Answer: (A)

The aim is to give units at regiment, battalion and below an organic airborne battlespace awareness capability. Small Unit Remote Scouting Systems and Small UAS are designed to provide near-real-time ISR directly to those lower echelons, so platoons and companies can scout ahead, map routes, spot obstacles, and identify potential threats without waiting for higher-level assets. This enhances decision speed and accuracy by putting timely information in the hands of the people who will act on it, improving maneuver and survivability in the immediate battlespace. It’s a tactical capability that lives with the unit, not a distant, long-range or strategic asset, and it won’t replace manned reconnaissance aircraft, which serve different roles and scales. It also isn’t intended for coastal defense, which lies outside the system’s primary use.