United States of America
Class I UAV
DARPA - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
FCS - Future Combat Systems
MAV - Micro Aerial Vehicle
MAV - Micro Air Vehicle
SAIC - Science Applications International Corporation
UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
The Boeing Company and partner Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC),
functioning as the Lead Systems Integrator for the U.S. Army's Future Combat
System (FCS) program, today awarded a contract, valued at approximately $61
million, to Honeywell Defense & Space Electronic Systems to develop the Class I
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (UAVS). The Class I UAVS, a platoon-level asset
and the smallest of four FCS unmanned aerial vehicle classes, will provide
dismounted soldiers with unprecedented reconnaissance, surveillance and target
acquisition capabilities on the battlefield.
The FCS program will leverage Honeywell's work on the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), a
prototype vehicle developed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration. Recently used by the Army's 25th
Infantry Division in Hawaii for soldier testing and experimentation, the MAV has
successfully demonstrated ducted fan technology, a key to meeting FCS Class I
UAV requirements for a small, back-packable UAV that provides "hover and stare"
capability.
In addition to the MAV activity with DARPA, Honeywell has been working under an
FCS systems engineering contract, including gap analysis and early risk
mitigation, to ensure MAV technology will meet the full set of FCS Class I
requirements. The team recently completed a system functional review verifying
that the technology is on track and, following an update to the design to meet
all FCS requirements, will be ready to be integrated into the FCS networked
system-of-systems to provide reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition
capability.
Class I is one of four UAV systems organic to platoon, company, battalion and
brigade echelons that form the aerial component of the FCS networked
system-of-systems, providing protection and information to soldiers on the
ground. Weighing about 35 pounds, each system includes two air vehicles, a
control unit and ancillary equipment. The Class I UAVS can operate in complex
urban and jungle terrains with vertical takeoff and landing capability, and can
be operated autonomously or controlled by dismounted soldiers. First prototype
deliveries and flight tests are scheduled for December 2008.
The current acquisition plan calls for all four classes of FCS UAV systems to be
deployed with the first fully-equipped FCS Brigade Combat Team in 2014. However,
the technologies will be developed according to a timeline that will allow for
earlier fielding to the current force at the Army's discretion. In the interim,
the Army and industry will continue to build on real-world lessons learned in
Iraq and the global war on terrorism to integrate leading-edge technologies into
the Class I UAVS solution.
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