Avionics maker Rockwell Collins reveals that it has won a broad system-level contract on the US Air Force's $86 million Blue Devil Block 2 airship program, the company's first "nose to tail" command and control win in the unmanned air systems (UAS) sector.
Under contract to prime contractor MAV6, Rockwell Collins will provide the vehicle, flight and ground control systems for the Blue Devil, said Dave Vos, senior director of Rockwell Collins Control Technologies and Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
The air force intends to deploy the 335ft-long multi-intelligence payload airship to Afghanistan in January to test persistent surveillance from a lighter-than-air platform. The win brings to 25 the number of unmanned or optionally manned platforms carrying Rockwell Collins guidance and control technologies.
Other recent wins include providing technologies to Aurora Flight Sciences and Raytheon in a program to develop an A-10C that will perform autonomous strafing runs, and providing a micro inertial navigation system to Aerovel for its flexrotor UAS, which performed first flight on August 12.
Source: Flight Daily News