French defense procurement agency DGA has awarded Sagem (Safran group) a contract for five Sperwer Mk II drones, which will join the fleet of SDTI (Système de Drones Tactiques Intérimaires) tactical drones already in service with the French army.
UAS
BAMS-D crash
A Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator (BAMS-D) unmanned aircraft being tested by the U.S. Navy crashed June 11 at approximately 12:11 EST near Bloodsworth Island in Dorchester County, Md. approximately 22 miles east of NAS Patuxent River, Md.
Sweden orders UAS from AeroVironment
At Eurosatory | AeroVironment has received a firm fixed-price order for 12 hybrid small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets Materielverk, FMV) on behalf of the Swedish Army. The order consists of Puma AE and Wasp air vehicles, ground stations, training, and logistics support. The order is the result of a competitive evaluation and procurement process. Contract options could increase the procurement to a total of 30 systems.
MDA will help in UAS training for British Forces
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that it has signed a contract to provide training support to the British Army.
New contract for AeroVironment
AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) today announced it received a $15,813,406 firm fixed-price authorization to perform on May 22, 2012 from the United States Army as the initial portion of a contract action with a total projected value of $65,889,191.
Phantom Eye has completed its first autonomous flight
Boeing’s Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system (UAS) completed its first autonomous flight June 1 at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
The 28-minute flight began at 6:22 a.m. Pacific time as the liquid-hydrogen powered aircraft lifted off its launch cart. Phantom Eye climbed to an altitude of 4,080 feet and reached a cruising speed of 62 knots. After touching down, the vehicle sustained some damage when the landing gear dug into the lakebed and broke.