The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has officially selected Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Systems to conduct initial studies on an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).
The four firms, already identified as the only US groups capable of leading the project, will now undertake initial 10-month trade-off and preliminary design studies. Each will receive $4 million to conduct the study phase. That includes design of a UCAV operational system and definition of a demonstrator system to allow validation of critical technologies.
The US Department of Defense will then decide whether to continue with an advanced technology demonstration programme. That would see one contractor selected for a $110 million contract in early 1999, to build two demonstrator vehicles and a mission control station. Flight tests would begin in late 2001.
Source: Flight International
