Deferred competition for US Army's Class II/III vehicles to begin in January 2005
Deferred design contests to select Class II and Class III unmanned air vehicles for the US Army's Future Combat System (FCS) are to begin in January 2005. FCS lead system integrator Boeing will manage the competitions and decide the two winners, says FCS programme manager Dennis Muilenburg.
Boeing is planning a three-phase competition in both classes with initial downselect to take place in mid-2005, while the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a parallel development programme in both categories. Muilenburg says the Boeing-run competitions will avoid duplicating areas covered by DARPA. For example, the Boeing Class II competition will exclude all ducted fan vehicles, which are the premise for the DARPA-led Organic Air Vehicle (OAV) programme. The company will also concentrate on technologies outside sense and avoid systems - another focus of DARPA's OAV effort.
Final designs selected through the Boeing and DARPA programmes will be considered for the final Class II downselect, Muilenburg says. Requirements include a vehicle-mounted-and-launched drone that can provide non-line-of-sight reconnaissance and target designation for a company-level unit. The Class III UAV would be stationed at the battalion-level and serve as a communications relay and reconnaissance asset and have longer endurance and greater payload capacity.
Teledyne Brown Engineering is planning to compete the Class III requirement with derivatives of Rheinmetall Defence Electronics' KZO/Taifun UAVsystem. Teledyne finalised a manufacturing and distribution agreement with the German company in late October, with this including rights to modify its KZO and Taifun designs to meet US Army requirements. Teledyne is exploring a potential engine replacement for the KZO to meet demands for a heavy fuel-based system and to provide additional range and endurance.
The KZO is entering operational service with the German army, following an extended development programme. Teledyne has named the UAV "Prospector" for the Class III competition, with the Taifun armed expendable version of KZO on offer as "Thunder". Beyond the army's Class III requirement, Teledyne Brown says it is exploring potential US Navy and US Coast Guard requirements for fixed-wing tactical UAVs.
PETER LA FRANCHI / CANBERRA and STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
