Military
The A160 Hummingbird systems that are being deployed to Afghanistan in May 2012 will take advantage of the Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance-Imaging System. Test flights will be carried out in Arizona at the start of the year before they are shipped to the Middle East. The Argus-IS's
Military
In the next decade, US defence spending on known medium- and large-size unmanned aircraft will be nearly $40 billion, increasing inventory by 35 percent. Ranging in size from a private aircraft to a commercial jet, nearly 800 of these bigger unmanned are operating around the world, observing, collecting data and
Military
US Customs and Border Protection issued a draft RFP for the purpose of acquiring a Ku Band Beyond Line of Sight Digital Datalink (BLOSDD) System. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) currently operates a fleet of manned and unmanned aircraft, including manned P-3 and DHC-8 patrol aircraft and the Predator B
Military
Major Jeff Brown, a spokesman for the 174th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard, said that in response to the new stress of around-the-clock Reaper missions, the unit has added a full-time chaplain and flight surgeon, as well as a civilian director of psychological health. Reaper pilots and sensor
VTOL
The US Army is using a hybrid-type acquisition approach to develop a helicopter-like, Vertical-Take-Off-and-Landing Unmanned Aircraft System with a so-called ARGUS wide-area surveillance sensor suite designed to beam back information and images of the surrounding terrain, service officials said. Beginning in May or June of 2012, the Army will deploy
Military
After nearly 16 years of development and more than $5 billion spent, culminating in a series of ballistic missile target engagements, the Pentagon has finally decided to mothball the Boeing-led 747-400F project known as the Airborne Laser. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is now looking toward a new generation
Military
Northrop Grumman's X-47B unmanned combat air system has been delivered to the US Navy following a year of testing. The US Naval Air Systems Command said the aircraft -- the first fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system designed for use from an aircraft carrier -- was tested at Edwards Air
Military
The U.S. Navy plans to launch AeroVironment's Switchblade small, expendable unmanned aircraft from a submerged submarine during the RIMPAC 2012 naval exercise in the Pacific. A contract has been awarded to Raytheon, which has developed the submerged launch vehicle (SLV) that allows the UAS to be deployed
Propulsion
The US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) Redstone Arsenal, AL, on behalf of the US Army, desires to obtain information to serve as a market survey heavy fuel or AVGAS engine candidates that would fit the Shadow UAS with
Propulsion
The US Army and AAI have established a specialist team to determine the root cause of an engine issue that has affected the service's RQ-7B Shadow 200, resulting in several platforms failing during operations over Afghanistan. Speaking to Jane's in late November, the army's
Data Links & Communications
The US Army's MQ-5B Hunter unmanned ISR aircraft will be reset by Northrop Grumman from C-Band communications to a tactical common data link. The work comes under two contractor logistics support contract modifications worth $91.2 million. Each features a one-year performance period. Northrop Grumman, maker of the
Military
A US official says Iran will find it hard to exploit any data and technology aboard the captured CIA stealth drone because of measures taken to limit the intelligence value of drones operating over hostile territory. The official also said Saturday that despite Iran's latest claims to have