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. Continue reading
Category Archives: Military UAS
US Navy Takes Delivery of First Northrop Grumman X-47B
Northrop Grumman’s X-47B unmanned combat air system has been delivered to the US Navy following a year of testing. Continue reading
US Navy to Launch Switchblade from Submarine
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. Continue reading
US Army Issues RFI for Heavy Fuel or AVGAS Engine for AAI Shadow
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 little or no modification to the airframe or engine. Continue reading
Afghan Operations Test Shadow Engine Reliability
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. Continue reading
Northrop Grumman Gets $91M Contract for Hunter Tactical Common Data Link
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. Continue reading
US Says Downed RQ-170 Data Heavily Encrypted
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. Continue reading
Last US Air Force Combat Mission Over Iraq
Lt. Col. Erik Drake, 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron Commander with assigned airmen in front of a MQ-1B Predator Dec. 15, 2011. Photo by Master Sgt. Paul Mann
As the world watched the last convoy pass through the gates at Khabari Crossing on the Kuwait-Iraq border, they may not have realized those on the ground had some help in the skies from airmen with a historic lineage. Continue reading