U.S. Army Awards $358 Million Contract to AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems

AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a Textron company, recently declared that it has been presented with a $358 M worth engineering support and system upgrades award from the U.S. Army’s Program Manager UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) to provide system upgrades and engineering support in order to develop a fleet of 45 upgraded RQ-7B Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TUAS). Supply of 43 systems for the Army and two for the Marine Corps is likely to start by 2013 end.

The new RQ-7B Shadow aircraft has been designed with the same architecture that has a proven efficiency on the existing Shadow aircraft with almost 750,000 flight hour- duration. It is multi-mission incorporated with an integrated payload for day and night imagery, laser target designation, and communications relay capabilities. Using the Army’s interoperability profiles, the aircraft enhances communications bandwidth and allows digital data delivery.

Furthermore, the upgraded Shadow aircraft has an electronic fuel injection engine for greater reliability, improved endurance from six to nine hours, incorporation of the Tactical Common Data Link for digital data dissemination and encryption, extended wing with hard points to carry external stores and payloads, new Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS), Portable Ground Data Terminal (PGDT), Universal Ground Data Terminal (UGDT), and Portable Ground Control Station (PGCS).

Complementing the RQ-7B Shadow system with the addition of UGCS and UGDT promotes the Army’s vision for a universal unmanned aircraft systems operator, in addition to regulating the establishment of new mission sets such as manned/unmanned teaming.

UGCS features dual 30-in monitors, more comfortable seating, white boards, individually controlled vents for heating and air conditioning, more leg room, and multiple, centrally located radios.

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