Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) will formally announce today the standing-up of a new unmanned aircraft systems business unit under the company's military aircraft division, says Jim Albaugh, IDS president and chief executive.
The organisational change elevates unmanned programmes, including the Insitu Scan Eagle and Integrator, Phantom Ray demonstrator, Unmanned Little Bird and A160, to the equivalent status of its rotorcraft, mobility and strike aircraft units.
The shift reflects a new emphasis on unmanned aircraft within IDS to become an engine for growth in the future.
Boeing has signed several major fee-for-service contracts for the ScanEagle UAS, but has yet to win a programme of record in the US military's inventory for a UAS platform.
That situation could change soon as the Integrator is competing for a US Navy and US Marine Corps contract called the small tactical UAS/tier II. The A160 is also in contention for an immediate need by the USMC for a cargo UAS. US Special Operations has also identified the A160 as a prime candidate for a long-endurance, vertical take-off requirement.
Boeing is also set to announce tomorrow the acquisition of a fourth cyber security/intelligence business within the past year, Albaugh says, without elaborating. The previous acquisitions have included Raven Wing, DRT Technologies and Kestrel.
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Source: Flight Daily News
