Raytheon and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems have begun studying ways of controlling unmanned air vehicles (UAV) from airborne ground-surveillance aircraft such as the ASTOR, now in development for the UK Royal Air Force.
Dr Richard Anderson, Raytheon vice-president integrated airborne systems, says the companies are looking at ways of passing data between the UAV and aircraft and using the datalinks on the surveillance aircraft to download data from the UAV. Other options include controlling the UAV and its sensors.
Anderson says the study has included General Atomics' Predator and the turboprop-powered Predator B. Some of the study results could feed into the UK Watchkeeper UAV programme, he adds. Raytheon Systems UK (RSL) says, as the UK is trying to end "stovepipe" acquisitions, the work could allow speedier integration of ASTOR and Watchkeeper, which are both surveillance and intelligence systems.
RSL says control of the UAV, its sensors, laser designator or weapons could be managed from ASTOR aircraft or ground stations. The Ministry of Defence recently pledged to give the armed forces network-centric warfare capabilities.
Meanwhile, the ASTOR system is due to enter its critical design review in early September following subsystem reviews, says Anderson.
Raytheon has also begun to build the ASTOR systems integration laboratory, "the first opportunity for all the elements to come together, the radar [the common airborne/ground operator] workstations, communications [defensive aids subsystem] and datalinks".
The first of five Bombardier Global Express business jets, which will be used as the ASTOR platform, was delivered to Raytheon this year, while testing of a Global Express prototype modified to the ASTOR aerodynamic configuration is due to end in August. The aircraft has flown around 250h.
Anderson says the aircraft is within weight, power consumption and "prime performance budgets", although "we had challenges."
As well as the radomes for the ASTOR radar and satellite communications systems, the Global Express has also been fitted with ventral fins and a fintop extension to improve the aircraft's directional stability.
Flights of the first ASTOR with the radar and other systems installed are to begin in 2004 with an in-service date set for September the following year.
Source: Flight International
