Military
First news from Aero India 2011 is that Northrop Grumman revealed that it has responded to the Request for Information (RFI) from the Ministry of Defence for MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (BAMS UAS) for the Indian Navy. The MQ-4C is the naval version of RQ-4 Global
Military
The US Army Aviation and Missile Command awarded Griffon Aerospace a five year contract for the production, maintenance, engineering and flight services for the Remotely Piloted Vehicle Target (RPVT) programme. The contract also provides for aerial target scoring systems and services at Department of Defense (DOD) ranges worldwide. As the
Military
The Nishant, India's domestically-built unmanned aircraft, has successfully completed its series of confirmatory trials carried out at the Chandan ranges in Pokhran, Rajasthan, ahead of its induction. The Army conducted the successful flight trials before taking delivery of a set of four Nishants, together with ground systems. The
Military
The US Air Force Aeronautical Systems Centre at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has awarded a $148.3 million contract to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to provide 24 MQ-9 Reaper hunter-killer Unmanned Aircraft.The Reaper is a medium-to-high altitude UAV primarily for reconnaissance and surveillance, but which also can carry
Testing
On Feb. 4, 2011, Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy successfully conducted the first flight of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) aircraft. The flight, which was conducted under hazy skies at Edwards Air Force Base in California, began at 2:09 p.m. PST and
Propulsion
The U.S. Air Force is calling for industry to build a hybrid-powered unmanned aircraft able to be carried and operated by only one person on battlefield situational awareness missions. It should weigh less than 20 pounds and be able to carry a 4-pound electro-optical payload on missions over rough
Commercial
Brock Technologies has announced its new Shark Unmanned Aircraft System. A small UAS capable of performing silent ISR at low altitudes for long periods of time, it is designed to fit within a five inch inner diameter launch tube. The Shark is built with the latest in composite materials and
Control Stations
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced that it received a firm fixed-price order valued at $7,800,003 under an existing contract with the U.S. Army on January 25, 2011. The order comprises 919 digital module upgrade kits for the U.S. Marine Corps. The upgrade kits allow digital Raven unmanned
Events
AAI Corporation has announced that the Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System programme received the Best PBL (Performance Based Logistics) Implementation award at the 7th Annual Defense Logistics Awards ceremony. This award was established to “honour, recognize and promote the logisticians in the U.S. Department of Defense and the Defense
Control Stations
The University of North Dakota has concluded an agreement with L-3 Communications to provide Predator Mission Aircrew Training System units for its training facility at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The total cost of the training facility is about $2 million, of which $1.6 million will go into furnishings
Events
Officials at West 2011, an annual defence industry conference in San Diego hosted by AFCEA and the U.S. Naval Institute, revealed that the US Navy is accelerating the development of a carrier-based combat UAS, reports National Defense Magazine. Navy Undersecretary Robert Work said that the department is planning to
Military
Saab Aerospace handed over the fuselage section of the pan-European Neuron unmanned combat air vehicle technology demonstrator during a ceremony at its Linköping site in Sweden on 25 January. The structure will be shipped by road to the Istres air base in the south of France, where Dassault, the aircraft&