The one-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, with four one-year options, has a maximum value of $200,000,000, and provides for the purchase of aircraft, ground control systems, spares, repairs and training under a combination firm fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost reimbursable arrangement. The initial delivery order is valued at $6 million and is fully funded. 

The hand-launched Puma AE lands near-vertically on both land and water and is equipped with a day- and night-capable, waterproof sensor package that provides image tracking, image stabilization and high-image quality. Puma AE systems incorporate the same hand-held Ground Control Unit used by U.S. Department of Defense and allied military customers to control Raven and Wasp systems. Ship-based use of Puma AE requires no modification to naval vessels, enabling easy integration into maritime operations. The AECV program represents the fourth U.S. Department of Defense full and open competition for a small UAS program of record, and the fourth such competition won by AV. 

"AV responded to a USSOCOM requirement for a hand-launched UAS. We are pleased to be chosen to deliver these capabilities into the hands of warfighters with a new, more capable third generation version of our Puma," said John Grabowsky, AV executive vice president and general manager of unmanned aircraft systems. "Puma AE joins Raven and Wasp in AV's product portfolio, delivering a powerful new solution for land and ship-based, over-the-horizon intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," Grabowsky added. 

U.S. armed forces including the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and USSOCOM, as well as international forces such as those of Italy, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands, use AV's hand-launched UAS for missions that include base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning, battle damage assessment and force protection. The U.S. Army has reported that Army Raven UAS were flown for approximately 150,000 combat hours in 2007. AV has delivered more than 10,000 small unmanned aircraft to date, including Raven, Wasp and Puma.

After digging a trench to take soil samples, the vehicle experienced a data overload and failed to save its new data to flash memory. Though any loss of science represents a setback, scientists said the data loss was not crucial. The malfunction followed an earlier discovery of a white chalky substance below the surface on the planet, which NASA said might be salt or even ice. As Phoenix digs deeper in search of ice, the vehicle will now send data immediately back to earth via two orbiting vehicles, rather than making one transmission at the end of the day. 

The unmanned space vehicle has another 60 days or so to work before the planet's climate freezes and shuts down its mission.

Athena Technologies, a subsidiary of Rockwell Collins of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, conducted the second of a series of test flights sponsored by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). 

At the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, the company conducted a test flight in which they ejected 60 percent of the aircraft’s right wing to simulate either missile damage or mechanical failure. Upon ejection, the company’s Automatic Supervisory Adaptive Control technology made adjustments to continue to fly the aircraft, landing it autonomously. 

Mike Myers, vice president of business development for the company, says the unmanned technology worked perfectly, performing a feat that would have been untenable for a manned aircraft. 

“We are pleased with the ability of our adaptive controls to instantly detect and react to the new vehicle configuration after loss of major sections of the wing,” Myers says. “The technology enabled the airplane to continue to fly completely autonomously without a hitch and land without further damage.” 

Aside from military applications in unmanned aerial vehicles, the new technology presents implications for manned aircraft, too, says David Vos, Ph.D., senior director of control technologies at Rockwell Collins. 

“This demonstration highlights the challenge and importance of autonomously controlling and landing an airplane that has sustained catastrophic damage or failure in flight.” 

The technology could also one day eliminate the need to send rescue helicopters to recover downed pilots and sensitive military equipment from hostile territory.

Ecuador announced this week it would buy a half-dozen Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol its borders for incursions from Columbian rebels, Defense Minister Javier Ponce told the Associated Press. The purchase follows earlier acquisitions of manned aircraft this year in their attempt to improve border security. 

Though the small Andean nation remains hopeful about future relations with the Columbia government, Ponce and other officials consider the leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia to be a threat. 

“We are not able to impede the establishment of guerilla camps or drug labs but, to the degree that we have been dismantling a series of labs and camps, we are establishing a certain capacity to prevent this from getting out of control,” Ponce said on Tuesday. 

Ecuador broke official relations with the Columbian government after their forces made an incursion across the border to bomb a rebel encampment, which also disrupted the smaller nation’s military radar. 

Though Ponce disclosed the value of the manned aircraft acquisition at $270 million, he declined to specify how much the country paid for the UAVs and whether they planned to arm them for offensive actions.

Like similar American-built systems, the aircraft takes off and lands vertically. The vehicle has a diameter of 1.2 meters and flies at a maximum altitude of 1,000 meters, Xinhua news agency said this week. 

Driven by a propeller, the unmanned vehicle boasts a top speed of 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour. The aircraft maker spent $4.1 million during the past 12 years to develop the prototype disc, which is intended for aerial photography, geological surveys and, the news agency says, emergency lighting.

As demand for UAS increases the lack of widely accepted standards for air space use and frequency spectrum is affecting development and design often resulting in higher development costs and delays in program development. 

This workshop will provide the means for a high level of interaction across a very broad audience. There are many stakeholders in the discussion and the employment of UAS standards. Many nations, states, agencies and industries are pursuing a better understanding of the utility of standards for UAS and how they can be invoked and matured. The workshop will bring these parties together and provide a record of the proceedings which will serve as an aide for those who continue to be engaged with the use and development of UAS standards. 

"Customers, in many cases governments, want UAS that meet their requirements for a good value," says Bob Brown, Past-President of AUVSI’s Capital Chapter. "Standards can be useful in achieving interoperability or commonality … but the full cost and benefit for invoking individual standards should be clearer." 

An online dialogue was opened for public input on UAS standards. Topics raised on this forum will shape the program for the workshop. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will receive an email ballot to vote on the most pressing standards, the best ideas, and overall relevance of the discussion. An analysis will be conducted following the ballot. 

The workshop will be held at the San Diego Convention Center in Room 28 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 9, 2008. Registration for this event is open to the public and is $175. Registration is located in the Hall G Lobby of the San Diego Convention Center. Media registration for this event is complimentary with valid credentials; to register for the workshop or AUVSI's Unmanned Systems North America 2008 please contact Alysa Reich at +1 703 677 1400 or reich@auvsi.org.  

AUVSI's Unmanned Systems North America 2008 is the world’s largest conference and exposition focused solely on the unmanned systems industry. More than 4,500 attendees and 300 exhibitors come from 30+ countries to do business, network, and get the latest industry updates at this leading international event of the unmanned systems marketplace. Full conference details and a current schedule of events can be found on the show's website at http://symposium.auvsi.org

The contract award was made by the Robotic Systems Joint Program Office (RSJPO) administered by the Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division (NAVAIR). It is a follow-on to the $150 million IDIQ awarded in the spring of 2007 that has now been fully funded.

Over 2,000 TALON robots are now deployed around the world, with a significant number located in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are used primarily to assist military personnel with the extremely dangerous job of detecting and disabling roadside bombs – the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by hostile forces to attack troops. TALON robots have been used in more than 80,000 counter-IED missions to date.

"This contract is further evidence of the growing acceptance and willingness on the part of our military to use TALON robots to keep our soldiers and marines as safe as possible," said Dr. William Ribich, president of the Technology Solutions Group. "We are proud that TALON is deployed with all branches of the US military for counter-IED missions because of its ruggedness and ease of use."

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill this week to spend another $165.4 billion on the wars, including $257.4 million for the U.S. Army's tactical and small unmanned aerial systems. 

"As we continue our military operations abroad, it is my goal to work in every possible way to make sure that our troops have my full support, both morally and materially, to carry out to carry out their mission," Sen. Richard Shelby (R. Ala.), a senior member of the committee told the media. "This legislation reinforces the committee's commitment to our war-fighters in harm's way and I was proud to support it." 

Intended to bridge the gap between appropriations for defense and the additional expenses of continuing warfare in the Middle East, the supplemental bill would provide funding for a grab bag of items required by the wars, including more than $2.2 billion for the Stryker family of military vehicles and more than half a billion dollars to upgrade the M1 Abrams tank fleet. 

Notably, the Senate bill also includes $375 million for research and treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, conditions that afflict thousands of war-fighters returning home from battle. 

"TBI and PTSD continue to be some of the leading afflictions that have an impact on our brave men and women in uniform," said Shelby. "It is imperative that we continue to adequately fund these important programs." 

As tens of thousands of American war-fighters return home with debilitating injury to mind and body, the U.S. Congress expects the military to transition one-third of its vehicles to unmanned technology by 2015, hoping to reduce such casualty risks in future conflicts.

The FAA and U.S. Department of Defense are addressing the technical challenges to routine NAS flight—not the least being the need for unmanned vehicles to "sense and avoid" oncoming air traffic—but FAA estimates completing regulations will take a decade or more. In the meantime, it's facing a workload crunch and it hasn't even analyzed the data it has collected, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report. 

"Aviation stakeholders and experts suggested that an overarching entity could help coordinate and expedite federal, academic, and private-sector efforts," the report says. "In 2003, Congress created a similar entity in FAA to coordinate planning for the next generation air transportation system among multiple federal agencies and the private sector." 

FAA has established the Unmanned Aircraft Program Office to coordinate its work on developing standards and regulations, but the GAO noted that the agency has not yet released its roadmap for UAS integration into public airspace—despite nearly one and a half years of work on it—and that it also has not analyzed the small amount of data it has already gathered on UAS operations in the NAS "citing resource constraints." 

The GAO says FAA should release the plan and analyze the data and that Congress should create the coordinating body. It also says that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should "examine and fully address the security implications of routine civil UAS access" to unregulated airspace. 

The Department of Transportation, which includes the FAA, says it will consider the advice, and the DHS says it agrees with the GAO's advice. 

The issue of UAS in the NAS is building steam, as the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board recently held a two-day seminar in Washington on the issue. Also, AUVSI is sponsoring a daylong workshop, AUVSI's 2008 International Standards Workshop, on Monday, June 9, in San Diego, Calif., just before AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2008. That workshop will address airspace management standards, among other items related to UAS standards. 

An online dialogue is happening here, and forum topics will feed into the workshop.

Funded by the California Energy Commission, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have been using autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles since early April to gather data during flights through clouds and aerosol masses. Based at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the flights would continue until next January. 

"These monthly UAV flights will provide unprecedented data for evaluating how long range transport of pollutants including ozone, soot and other particulates from the northwest United States, Canada, East Asia and Mexico mix with local pollution and influence our air quality and regional climate including the early melting of snow packs," says V. Ramanathan, a professor at the university who is heading the California AUAV Air Pollution Profiling Study. 

Southern California needs more metrological data on its air given the region's vulnerability to the repercussions of potential climate change as dry, placid weather traps smog and other pollutants in the area, Ramanathan says.

Prior to joining Aurora, Lambert was a Vice President and Program Executive for Unmanned Systems and Navy ISR at SAIC in Sterling, VA. He served in the US Navy from 1977 to 2003, where he attained the rank of Captain. He served as the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Program Manager (PMS 403) and commanded the fast attack nuclear submarine, the USS BATFISH.  

Lambert holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Providence College and a Master of Science in Systems Technology from the Naval Postgraduate School. He has completed both the Advanced and Executive Program Management Courses at the Defense Systems Management College. He also completed the Executive Management Program at Penn State University.  

Lambert is the Executive Vice President of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and serves as the Chairman of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International's Committee F41 on Unmanned Maritime Vehicle Systems.  

About Aurora Flight Sciences 

Aurora Flight Sciences designs and builds robotic aircraft and other advanced aerospace vehicles for scientific and military applications. Aurora is headquartered in Manassas, VA and operates production plants in Clarksburg, WV and Columbus, MS and a Research and Development Center in Cambridge, MA. To view recent press releases and more about Aurora please visit www.aurora.aero.

Key phase I milestones included an 18.7-hour endurance flight on May 14-15 that will be claimed as a world endurance record for unmanned aerial vehicles in the weight class of 1,102 to 5,511 pounds. This is additionally, an unofficial world record for unrefueled rotorcraft endurance. In an earlier May 9 flight, the A160 achieved another important demonstration milestone by hovering out of ground effect at 16,700 feet density altitude for over seven minutes. 

The gas-turbine-powered A160 flew the demonstrations autonomously. During the 18.7-hour flight, the aircraft carried a 300-pound internal payload with much of the flight conducted at an altitude of 15,000 feet MSL. The flight began May 14 at 8:55 a.m. Pacific Standard Time and ended May 15 at 3:36 p.m. 

The May 9 flight, which was also autonomous, lasted a total of just under three hours. The aircraft spent the majority of the time airborne in forward flight at or above a 15,000 feet and achieved a maximum height of over 20,000 feet density altitude. The aircraft again carried a 300 pound payload during this flight. 

The altitude and endurance capability of the A160T Hummingbird, combined with the ability to hover at altitude and land and takeoff vertically while carrying a significant payload weight, provides the U.S. military with a unique set of capabilities not now present in any operational aircraft. The A160T can carry multiple sensor payloads simultaneously, to perform missions such as persistent intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition, communications relay, direct attack and other missions. 

The recently completed flight test program started in June 2007 and has included a total of 14 flights and over 60 flight hours on the principal flight test vehicle, A007. Most of the flights have been based at Southern California Logistics Airport, Victorville, Calif., with the most recent flights taking off and landing from the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma, Arizona, test site. The long endurance flight marks the end of a set of proof of concept demonstrations that has also included flight at a maximum speed of 142 knots, carriage of a 1,000 pound payload over 962 kilometers during an eight-hour flight, and the high-altitude hover out of ground effect. 

“This has been an aggressive flight test program, and A160 has made excellent progress. We achieved a broad set of program goals and have completed initial exploration and expansion of the aircraft flight envelope,” notes DARPA program manager Phil Hunt. “The result has been a steadily increasing level of confidence and reliability. We have shown the value of the A160 as a new sensor platform for the U.S. military.” 

The DARPA A160 program will now begin an eight-month bridge phase to consolidate vehicle technology and reliability for the aircraft’s use with a number of sensor programs. The program plans an additional 60 hours of flight envelope expansion and 250 hours of ground testing and will undertake a number of system improvements modifications. 

The A160T Hummingbird features a unique optimum speed rotor technology that significantly improves overall performance efficiency by adjusting the rotor’s speed at different altitudes, gross weights and cruise speeds. The autonomous unmanned aircraft, measuring 35 feet long with a 36-foot rotor diameter, will eventually fly at speeds of more than 140 knots with a ceiling of 20,000 to 30,000 feet altitude for more than 20 hours, and a high hover capability of up to 15,000 feet altitude. 

The A160T was developed by Boeing. Boeing has submitted an application to the National Aeronautic Association, the U.S. sanctioning body for the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, to claim the world endurance class record officially.

"This exciting approach to earth observation gives scientists a way to look longer, closer, and more frequently at some of the most remote areas of the Earth, places that were previously too dangerous or too expensive to monitor in detail," said Barbara J. Ryan, USGS Associate Director for Geography. "The flexibility and relative low cost of unmanned aircraft systems will enhance our ability to track long-term landscape change. In addition, we can quickly assess landscape altering events, such as wildfires or volcanoes, in areas with challenging logistics." 

In many cases, UAS technology is simply the most cost effective way to gather earth observation data for a wide variety of applications: managing federal lands; investigating climate change; mapping and charting; conducting environmental risk assessments; responding to and recovering from natural and human-induced disasters. 

Even in less remote areas, manned aircraft flights may not be feasible at times due to long flight durations, hazardous weather conditions, and associated operations cost. Satellite-based observations can be hindered by course image resolution, limited sensor capabilities, and repeat orbiting cycles of days or weeks. The use of UAS technology allows flexibility in delivering timely data. Furthermore, data collection by UAS can be specifically tailored to the required resolution and radiometric parameters of individual investigations. 

An important focus of the USGS UAS Program, a component of the USGS Land Remote Sensing Program, is to leverage the commitment that the defense and intelligence communities have made in supporting UAS research. Working in partnership with many other Federal agencies, academia, and industry groups, the USGS will promote UAS technology for civil, domestic applications. Offices for the new program will be located at the USGS facility in Lakewood, Colo.

The Fire Scout is a key enabler for LCS and significantly contributes to its designated warfare mission areas of anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and mine warfare. The modular nature of the ship to accomplish the designated mission is perfectly complemented by the Fire Scout and its modular mission payload capability. However, due to changes in the LCS development schedule, the Navy intends to conduct the Fire Scout Operational Evaluation (OpEval) aboard an FFG-7, Oliver Hazard Perry class ship. This will provide the fleet with unmanned aerial system support as soon as possible. 

According to the current schedule, the Navy will conduct Technical Evaluation on the Fire Scout on FFG-7 in the fall 2008 and OpEval in the summer 2009. The Fire Scout will reach Initial Operating Capability soon after OpEval in 2009. The Navy will continue to support LCS Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) efforts in fiscal year 2011. 

"This is great news for the Navy and for the Fire Scout," said Doug Fronius, MQ-8B Fire Scout VTUAV program director for Northrop Grumman’s Integrated System sector. 

"It's a win-win situation because the Fire Scout gets to progress through testing and initial operational capability. It will be ready to deploy on operational missions and will be ready when the LCS needs it." 

Fire Scout VTUAV restructuring is in the best interests of the Fleet and the U.S. Navy Fire Scout VTUAV program because it enables the Navy to continue supporting LCS integration and will provide a more mature system for LCS deployments. 

Fire Scout is capable of landing on all air-capable ships, so integration efforts will focus on dynamic interface testing, supportability assessments and data management. The Navy and Northrop Grumman are working together to define and develop a roll-on/roll-off Fire Scout ship deployment package that will facilitate this effort. 

Fire Scout is currently conducting envelope expansion, software validation, payload integration and data link testing at the Webster Field annex of Naval Station Patuxent River, Md.

"It is, indeed, a moment of great pride and satisfaction for all of us, as acquisition of this capability will certainly contribute towards augmenting our fighting potential," Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, chief of the air staff, Pakistan Air Force, said at a ceremony marking the occasion. 

Ahmed added that Pakistan would soon equip its UAS fleet with the "most modern and lethal" payloads to meet such requirements of modern warfare as operating jointly with foreign forces and fighting asymmetrical threats. 

Pakistan characterized its UAS capability as part of its overall air defense strategy.

The National Transportation Safety Board convened an unusual two-day seminar on UAS in the NAS on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 29-30, in Washington, D.C., complete with testimony from government and industry officials, model vehicles and exhibits (including one from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International). 

The meeting was prompted by the panel's investigation of the 2006 crash of a Predator flown by the Office of Customs and Border Protection, an accident found to be caused by operator error. 

"We realized we needed to know more about the current and future operation of these vehicles," said Board Member Kitty Higgins. She said it's clear that UAS use is growing and joked that one day "our pizzas will be delivered by UAS." 

Testimony from Doug Davis, who heads the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft Program Office, made it clear that no one should look to the sky for pizza just yet. The FAA has begun work on making flight rules for small vehicles—weighing 20 pounds or less—but those won't be finished until 2010 or 2011, and he said bigger vehicles may not fly routinely for another decade or more after that. 

He said it's possible that special restricted categories could be set up for vehicles used for things like pipeline patrol, where they are flying over largely unpopulated areas, but he said a fully certified avionics suite for larger vehicles that could provide "sense and avoid" capability won't be ready until 2020 or 2025. Until then, operators using larger UAS won't be able to "file and fly" because their vehicles won't be able to see other craft and get out of the way, a key component of safety in the NAS. Instead, they'll have to get Certificates of Authority that outline where and when they can fly or have temporary flight restrictions to keep other vehicles out of the way. 

The FAA is partnering with two police departments, in Miami, Fla., and Houston, Texas, to evaluate the use of small UAS for surveillance. Those programs have yet to start, however. Miami is still buying a Micro Air Vehicle from Honeywell and Houston is looking for funding to pay the expenses of Insitu employees who would be needed to help operate the ScanEagle vehicles the department hopes to use. 

Thomas Runyon of the Houston Police Department said his office didn't realize that just because FAA proposed the demonstration didn't mean the FAA would pay for it. He said the department could start flying in 60 to 90 days if it gets a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the FAA and if it finds $1 million to support Insitu's people. 

Asked where he's looking for the money, he said, "a rich uncle, anybody who's willing to write a check." 

Board Member Deborah Hersman asked Davis if his office is understaffed. He has 14 employees now and is expecting a couple more. The FAA is "staff challenged across the board," he said, "and my organization is no exception." 

The FAA wanted to limit the police demonstrations to two, although police all over the country would like to use UAS to supplement existing helicopter fleets. Davis added that his office can't take on a large number of pilot programs now. 

However, he said FAA approved 100 COAs a year in the last two years, up from 50 a year in 2005. 

Capt. Ellis Chernoff of the Air Line Pilots Association said when sense and avoid technology is ready it would be useful for manned aircraft as well, but until then he'd like to see UAS carry transponders to mark their location. 

"So far, the accident record does not support the claim that they [UAS] operate just like any other airplane, just without a pilot on board. They are very different," he said. 

For one thing, they tend to be small and sleek, which is good for military use but not good in public airspace where Cessna pilots and other aviators are trying to avoid collisions. 

However, Lt. Col. Charles Kowitz of the U.S. Air Force Safety Center said UAS do have advantages. A high-flying Global Hawk UAS can lose its communications link to the ground and its engine and still glide to a landing, touching down within 10 feet of a runway's center line. 

"You do that to a fighter pilot and he ain't gonna make it," Kowitz said. 

Melissa Rudinger, the vice president of regulatory affairs for the Aicraft Owners and Pilots Association, said 77 percent of AOPA members want to share the skies with UAS but the integration should be "seamless"—that is, no flight restrictions and the unmanned vehicles are able to avoid other craft and operate at the same level of safety as manned vehicles. 

"It's no small task," she said. "It's easy to say ... but hard to implement." 

Brett Davis is editor of AUVSI's Unmanned Systems magazine.

Statement on Russian Downing of Georgian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 

United States urges all parties to engage in a lasting political solution 

STATEMENT BY SPOKESMAN SEAN MCCORMACK 

Georgia – Shooting Down of Unarmed UAV 

The United States is deeply concerned by the shooting down of an unarmed Georgian UAV, by a presumably Russian MiG-29, over the Abkhazia region of Georgia on April 20. Such incidents escalate tensions, contradict the spirit of the UN Friends process, and risk destabilizing the entire Caucasus. We urge all parties to engage in serious discussions aimed at reaching a lasting political solution, including by engaging on the recent peace proposals made by the Government of Georgia. 

We reiterate our unwavering support for Georgian sovereignty and territorial integrity and are concerned by the presence of a MiG-29 aircraft in Georgian airspace without Georgian authorization, and by the use of weapons from this aircraft in shooting down an unarmed Georgian UAV. We support UNOMIG initiatives to enhance military transparency in the region, as well as its investigation of the shooting down of the Georgian UAV. 

We also reiterate our concern over recent actions by the Russian government to upgrade relations with the Abkhaz and South Ossetian authorities, which challenge Georgian sovereignty and call into question whether Russia can continue to function as a facilitator toward a solution in the region. 

We agree with the stated goal of Russia and the other members of the Friends of the Secretary General of easing the isolation and poverty of the population in the separatist regions. This can only be achieved by working closely with the Government of Georgia, which has responsibility for the well-being of the people living on its territory. We call on Russia to work together with the Government of Georgia and to place renewed priority on the safe return of refugees and displaced persons to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The Department of the Navy announced today that the Northrop Grumman Corp. has been awarded the system development and Demonstration (SDD) contract for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS).

The BAMS UAS contract award is the culmination of a year-long source selection process since the Navy received industry proposals in May 2007. The $1.16 billion cost-plus-award-fee contract is to develop a persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data collection and dissemination capability that fulfills the maritime war fighter's requirement for continuous battle-space awareness. The BAMS UAS will be developed using Northrop Grumman's RQ-4N platform.

"This announcement represents the Navy's largest investment in unmanned aircraft systems to date. The extraordinary efforts leading to this announcement have helped the BAMS UAS program begin to develop a persistent ISR capability never before available to the fleet," said Capt. Bob Dishman, program manager for the BAMS UAS program. "This is a significant milestone for the BAMS UAS program, concluding a deliberate and meticulous source selection process that adhered to stringent Federal Acquisition Regulation and Naval Air System Command source selection processes and documentation requirements."

The BAMS UAS is an integral part of the maritime patrol and reconnaissance Force. As an adjunct to the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, the BAMS UAS will provide persistent maritime and littoral intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to joint forces and fleet commanders worldwide. This capability will enhance battle-space awareness, improve force projection capabilities and protect and defend the fleet and the nation. 

Northrop Grumman's Statement 

U.S. Navy Awards $1.16 Billion BAMS UAS Contract to Northrop Grumman 

LOS ANGELES - April 22, 2008 - The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) an 89-month, $1.16 billion contract for System Development and Demonstration (SDD) of the service's new Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS) program. The BAMS UAS will provide the U.S. Navy with a persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system to protect the fleet and provide a capability to detect, track, classify, and identify maritime and littoral targets. 

"We are honored that the Navy selected our team to provide this critical advanced capability to help fulfill its mission to protect our warfighters, our nation and its allies from maritime threats," said Ronald D. Sugar, Northrop Grumman chairman and chief executive officer. "We believe our approach, based on the proven capabilities of the Global Hawk, delivers the best value to the Navy and the American taxpayer, further supporting the National Maritime Strategy and the Global War on Terrorism." 

Northrop Grumman's RQ-4N, a marinized version of the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle, will be the platform for the BAMS UAS suite of maritime surveillance sensors and communications systems. 

"This BAMS UAS contract highlights Northrop Grumman's leadership in unmanned aerial systems and its legacy of using engineering innovation to fulfill critical customer system requirements," said Gary W. Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "We're looking forward to being the Navy's partner in developing this vital capability for the service's Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces." 

The Northrop Grumman BAMS UAS is a multi-mission maritime ISR system that will support a variety of missions while operating independently or in direct collaboration with fleet assets. The RQ-4N will be able to provide a continuous on-station presence while conducting open-ocean and littoral surveillance of targets. When operational, BAMS will play a key role in providing commanders with a persistent, reliable picture of surface threats, covering vast areas of open ocean and littoral regions, minimizing the need to utilize other manned assets to execute surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.

"Northrop Grumman was chosen for the BAMS UAS SDD contract based upon a deliberate and meticulous source selection process designed to make a best value determination on behalf of the Navy," said Captain Robert Dishman, program manager, PMA-262. "With Northrop Grumman as our industry partner, we are ready to begin SDD and take the next step towards delivering a persistent maritime ISR capability to the Fleet and warfighter." 

In addition to serving as the Navy's BAMS prime contractor and unmanned aerial vehicle supplier, Northrop Grumman has developed the BAMS Multi-Function Active Sensor active electronically scanned array radar at its Norwalk, Conn., facility. Other RQ-4N BAMS team members include: Raytheon, which will support the Mission Control System segment and provide the electro-optical/infrared sensor; L-3 Communications, which will provide communications integration; Aurora Flight Sciences, which will provide the V-tail assembly and other composite structures; Rolls-Royce Corporation, which will provide the aircraft engine; Sierra Nevada Corporation, which will provide the Electronic Support Measures system; and Vought Aircraft Industries, which will supply the wing. 

Northrop Grumman performs Global Hawk sub-assembly work at its Unmanned Systems Center, Moss Point, Miss. The company anticipates performing final assembly at its St. Augustine, Fla. Manufacturing Center. 

The RQ-4N is the latest addition to a growing family of unmanned systems developed by Northrop Grumman. The BAMS system builds on the company's extensive experience with autonomous flight control that includes thousands of flight hours by the combat-proven RQ-4 Global Hawk, the MQ-5B Hunter, the MQ-8 Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) tactical unmanned system -- the first completely autonomous VTOL aircraft to land aboard a Navy vessel underway -- and the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System -- the first unmanned air vehicle scheduled to perform carrier landings. 

Boeing's Statmement 

Boeing Statement on U.S. Navy BAMS Decision 

ST. LOUIS, April 22, 2008 -- Boeing has been informed that the U.S. Navy has chosen another company for its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aircraft system contract. 

We are obviously disappointed and believe our proposal best fit the Navy's unmanned persistent maritime surveillance and reconnaissance needs. Our next step is to be debriefed by the Navy. After we have reviewed the details behind the award, we will make a decision concerning possible options. 

The Boeing Company would like to thank everyone who helped us on the BAMS proposal, including our industry teammates Gulfstream, Raytheon, Honeywell and Rolls-Royce. 

Lockheed Martin's Statement 

We are very disappointed with the U.S. Navy's decision in the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program competition. We will wait for the formal customer debrief to better understand the decision and criteria used to select the prime contractor.

The Vulture contractors will design and develop an unmanned aerial system able to fly on station and perform its mission for five years without interruption. 

The Vulture program envisions a system carrying a 1,000-pound payload drawing five kilowatts of power that is able to stay airborne for an uninterrupted period of at least five years while remaining in the required mission airspace 99 percent of the time. 

During the program's first phase, a 12-month analytical effort, the three contractor teams will conduct trade studies to determine the design concept that best satisfies the operational tasks and optimizes design capability. They will also explore various vehicle configurations while concentrating on reliability and mission assurance design aspects. The phase will conclude with a concept design review of sub-scale and full-scale demonstration vehicles and the supporting technology development plan to reduce risk on key technologies. 

Vulture will leverage space satellite operations and design paradigms, in which long life and extreme reliability are routine, and bring this concept to the realm of aircraft operations in order to provide a level of mission reliability previously unknown in aircraft operations. Vulture will provide pseudo-satellite benefits such as increased platform availability and consistent and persistent coverage, and allow smaller fleet sizes. 

The Vulture program will focus on developing innovative technologies and approaches for in-flight energy collection or refueling and ultra-reliable systems or systems able to be repaired in-flight. Other new technologies that will be developed and that are key to the ability of the Vulture system to provide the desired mission reliability include multi-junction photovoltaic cells, high specific energy fuel cells, extremely efficient propulsion systems, in-flight precision autonomous materiel transfer and docking, extremely efficient vehicle structural design, mitigation of environmentally induced loads, and innovative vehicle control concepts. The Vulture program is not developing payloads, but is focused on development of the airborne system able to provide the objective mission reliability. A system able to remain on station for five years could have utility in a variety of missions such as communications relay, surveillance and reconnaissance, and signals intelligence. 

In the program’s second phase, DARPA contractors will refine the demonstrator designs, continue technology development and risk reduction efforts, and conduct an uninterrupted three-month flight test of a sub-scale demonstrator. 

The third and final phase of the program will consist of a flight test of the full-scale demonstrator vehicle, during which the Vulture system will demonstrate the ability to operate continuously for 12 months.

The ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) measures approximately 7.5 meters wide with six legs measuring six meters each. The robotic vehicle would be capable of carrying a moon base thousands of miles, greatly expanding the range of astronauts. 

NASA is testing two smaller prototypes of the vehicle at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. 

The ATHLETE's long legs would enable astronauts to move the base from the lunar lander, whose 15-ton payload would sit six meters from the ground. The vehicles design allows it to either roll or walk, depending upon terrain. Later this year, NASA plans to test the vehicle in the desert climate of the American southwest. 

NASA plans to begin establishing bases on the moon in 2020.

A Russian Mig-29 fighter jet shot down an unarmed UAV as it performed a routine mission near Abkhazia, a breakaway Georgian region now controlled by separatists backed by Moscow, Georgia said. The country’s air force commander cited videotape footage showing an unmarked fighter jet firing a missile at the drone. 

Russia denies any incursion this weekend into Georgian airspace. 

Yet, Georgia says radar records indicate the Mig-29 took off from the renegade province and crossed into Russia after the attack.

Gates says the military should think about how to accomplish future missions "in the most affordable and sensible way," including deploying more UAS. 

"Today, we now have more than 5,000 UAVs, a 25-fold increase since 2001. But in my view, we can do and we should do more to meet the needs of men and women fighting in the current conflicts while their outcome may still be in doubt," he said. 

"My concern is that our services are still not moving aggressively in wartime to provide resources needed now on the battlefield. I've been wrestling for months to get more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets into the theater. Because people were stuck in old ways of doing business, it's been like pulling teeth." 

To help expedite things, Gates said he has created a Department of Defense-wide task force to rapidly work this problem, in a way similar to how another task force hustled bomb-resistant vehicles into Iraq and Afghanistan. 

"The deadlines for the task force's work are very short," he said. "... For those missions that still require manned missions, we need to think hard about whether we have the right platforms - whether, for example, low-cost, low-tech alternatives exist to do basic reconnaissance and close air support in an environment where we have total control of the skies - aircraft that our partners also can afford." 

The full transcript of his speech is here.

The RP-7 Remote Presence Robotic System, a wireless, mobile robot, was used to allow Army Staff Sgt. Erik Lloyd to meet his seven-day-old son, Blake, on April 10. 

"The RP-7 can move untethered, allowing a remote physician seated at a control station to freely interact with patients, family members and hospital staff from anywhere, anytime," the story says. 

"In this case, the robot gave Lloyd the opportunity to interact with Blake and with his wife, Kristie. Because of his deployment, Lloyd had missed Blake’s April 4 birth." 

Lloyd is assigned to the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houson, Texas, and is currently serving with the Deployed Combat Casualty Research Team, located with 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. 

"While Lloyd looked through a computer screen in Iraq, his wife Kristi and members of the institute’s staff gathered around an RP-7 in a conference room at Brooke Army Medical Center here, to introduce the soldier to his baby boy." 

The full story is here.

The company hopes to promote its JAUS standard by encouraging students to use it in the competition. The company will offer the toolkit at no cost to registered participants in the 2008 AUVSI competitions, helping teams to address interoperability challenges associated with unmanned systems. 

The JAUS toolkit will include most of the functionality of the commercial version with a limited message set—those defined by the competition rules. The company says that although they will provide documentation for the toolkit, they will not bias the competition by providing students with direct support for implementing and using JAUS. 

“We have developed a competition version of our RE2 JAUS [software development kit] to provide students with a proven, real-world solution for unmanned systems interoperability,” says Jorgen Pedersen, president and chief executive officer of RE2. “By implementing JAUS during the unmanned systems competitions, students will bring both an understanding of interoperability standards and JAUS expertise with them as they transition into the workforce.”

The company hopes to promote its JAUS standard by encouraging students to use it in the competition. The company will offer the toolkit at no cost to registered participants in the 2008 AUVSI competitions, helping teams to address interoperability challenges associated with unmanned systems. 

The JAUS toolkit will include most of the functionality of the commercial version with a limited message set—those defined by the competition rules. The company says that although they will provide documentation for the toolkit, they will not bias the competition by providing students with direct support for implementing and using JAUS. 

“We have developed a competition version of our RE2 JAUS [software development kit] to provide students with a proven, real-world solution for unmanned systems interoperability,” says Jorgen Pedersen, president and chief executive officer of RE2. “By implementing JAUS during the unmanned systems competitions, students will bring both an understanding of interoperability standards and JAUS expertise with them as they transition into the workforce.”

UAVs are used by all four military branches for missions ranging from reconnaissance and surveillance to attack; and each branch is represented in this exhibit: Predator, DarkStar, X-45A (Air Force); Shadow 200 (Army); Dragon Eye (Marine Corps); and Pioneer (Navy). Likewise, a wide variety of technologies are on display: jets, piston-driven props and electric motors for propulsion; and surveillance radars, precision bombs and missiles for combat use. 

"The UAVs are positioned over 'In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight,' a photographic exhibition of visually intriguing elements of aircraft and spacecraft," museum director Gen. J.R. "Jack" Dailey said. "By installing the two displays together, we hope to suggest parallels between technology, culture and the arts." 

The first true UAVs—aerial vehicles capable of returning to a successful recovery after the prescribed mission—were developed in the late 1950s, but America's military began looking into the use of unmanned aerial vehicles during World War I. Both the Army and Navy built functional unmanned aircraft before the war ended in November 1918. During World War II, unmanned craft had developed to the point where they could be controlled from a remote location by radio signals, usually sent from another aircraft following behind. Modern UAVs are technologically advanced aircraft but would be incomplete without effective command and control, especially trained support personnel, effective mission-related sensors and particular weapons that enable mission accomplishment. 

The following UAVs will be featured in the new exhibition: 

* General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. MQ-1L Predator A: The Predator is capable of both reconnaissance and attack missions. It has been used in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq and other global locations. The U.S. Air Force Predator displayed flew 196 combat missions in the skies of Afghanistan and was one of the first three UAVs to fly operational missions there after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Predator Development Team won the 2002 National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement. 

* Lockheed Martin/Boeing RQ-3A DarkStar: The DarkStar was developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Boeing Defense and Space Group to provide sustained reconnaissance information from anywhere within enemy territory, day or night, in all types of weather. 

* AeroVironment RQ-14A Dragon Eye: In early 2001, the Naval Research Laboratory and the U. S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory designed and built the Dragon Eye reconnaissance mini-UAV. Dragon Eye is a fully autonomous, hand- or bungee-launched UAV designed to provide tactical reconnaissance and surveillance information to field commanders. The Dragon Eye is on display in a case also containing its computer control, eye goggles (to see what the sensors see), a parts-and-tool kit and bungee-cord launching system. 

* Pioneer UAV Inc. (IAI/AAI) RQ-2A Pioneer: The Pioneer performs a wide variety of reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle damage-assessment missions. Pioneer's electro-optical sensors and infrared camera provide real-time images of the target area to field commanders. The vehicle on display served with the U.S. Navy during the 1991 Gulf War. On one notable mission, a group of Iraqi fighters surrendered to the vehicle as it flew over their heads. Marines were directed to their position, where they then captured the fighters.

* AAI Corporation RQ-7A Shadow 200 (Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle): The RQ-7A is a twin-boom pusher design and has nonretractable tricycle landing gear for conventional, wheeled takeoff and landing. The RQ-7A also can be launched from a catapult and has a tail hook to catch arresting cables for a shorter landing run. Screamin' Demon flew with the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team No. 2 and the 82nd Airborne Division. Its last combat flight in Iraq took place Sept. 12, 2005, totaling 124 missions and nearly 500 flight hours. 

* Boeing X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS): The X-45A was the first modern unmanned aerial vehicle designed specifically for combat strike missions. The X-45A first flew in May 2002. Air vehicle No. 1 performed the first autonomous flight of a high-performance, combat-capable UAV; the first weapons release from an autonomous UAV; and, with air vehicle No. 2, the first autonomous multivehicle coordinated flight.  

This exhibition is made possible through the generosity of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., builder of the Predator UAV. 

The National Air and Space Museum building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (Closed Dec. 25) Admission is free, but there is a $12 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

India and Israel say their new helicopter would be capable of operating in severe weather conditions, according to media reports. Unlike the unmanned helicopter first developed by the United States in the 1950s, this drone would employ automated takeoff and landing systems, useful for land and sea. 

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Israel Aerospace Industries say their helicopter would also feature dual automated operating systems for enhanced safety. The two nations say their drone would prove extremely useful aboard navy ships.

Designed for reconnaissance and strike, the system comprises a vehicle along with mobile ground control, launch and repair elements. Designers intend the system to perform battlefield reconnaissance, target spotting and strike. Strikes against targets spotted during reconnaissance may be executed by either the drone or other weapons after the UAV transmits information via highly-secure communications. 

With a wingspan of 5.63 meters and a fuselage length of 4.6 meters, the UAV weighs less than 500 kilograms with a flight radius of 150 kilometers and an altitude of 50 meters to six kilometers. 

The craft also carries an emergency parachute should landing in tough terrain prove too risky.