US Army unveils new unmanned aircraft - the Gray Eagle

At 3,600 pounds the ability to fly up to 172 miles per hour, the Gray Eagle is one of the U.S. Army's newest and most advanced high-tech tools patrolling the sky.
The new, larger unmanned aerial vehicle was recognized at Fort Hood for reaching a milestone after the 21st Cavalry Brigade Air Combat unit achieved the 100-hour mark of training.
On Wednesday, Spec. Jacob Presnell performed a training exercise in restricted airspace at Fort Hood. However, the Army says it really soars when deployed over war zones.
"I think it provides more capability to the soldiers on the ground," Col. Neil Hersey said. It gives them better awareness of the battlefield and informs commanders so they can take wise decisions on whether to take action or not to take action on something."

The Uncommon Valor of Clint Romesha

Good job !!!

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Before withdrawing out of Camp Keating, booby trap the place.

Boeing's liquid hydrogen Phantom Eye unmanned aircraft system has completed taxi testing

Boeing's liquid hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned aircraft system has completed taxi testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California as it progresses toward its second flight. During the testing, which occurred Feb. 6, the Phantom Eye demonstrator aircraft sitting atop its launch cart reached speeds up to 40 knots, or approximately 46 miles per hour.

The Phantom Eye team has also completed software and hardware upgrades to prepare for flying at higher altitudes.

"We upgraded the autonomous flight systems and have achieved all the required test points in preparation for the next flight," said Drew Mallow, Phantom Eye program manager.

Additionally, the team improved the aircraft’s landing system following Phantom Eye's first flight, when the landing gear dug into the Edwards lakebed and broke.

"We've drawn on Boeing’s experience to come up with a solution, using our tactical fighter aircraft landing systems as an example," said Brad Shaw, Phantom Eye chief engineer.

Phantom Eye's innovative and environmentally responsible liquid-hydrogen propulsion system will allow the aircraft to stay on station for up to four days while providing persistent monitoring over large areas at a ceiling of up to 65,000 feet, creating only water as a byproduct. The demonstrator, with its 150-foot wingspan, is capable of carrying a 450-pound payload. Its first flight, in coordination with NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, was in June 2012.

Raytheon's Quick Kill Active Protection System defeats incoming RPGs

As the U.S. Army prepares for formal testing to evaluate a system to protect combat vehicles from shoulder-fired and tube-launched Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Quick Kill™ Active Protection System (APS) has again shown its maturity and accuracy in a series of tests.
In a recent test, held in December 2012, the Quick Kill APS demonstrated its protective capability by successfully defeating an extended set of threats, including one of the most lethal RPG threats by destroying it in mid-flight. All testing is in preparation for formal government evaluations in early 2013 to demonstrate the system's unique RPG-defeat capabilities.

"Raytheon's APS is based on the same radar technology deployed to perform sense and warn operations at active Forward Operating Bases. It has been extremely successful in providing timely warning against rocket and mortar attacks," said Jeff Miller, vice president of Combat and Sensing Systems for Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business.
"With Quick Kill," he added, "Raytheon has matured a highly advanced system, offering our forces an unprecedented force protection capability that is essential to the future survivability of combat vehicles. This technology is ready and could begin fielding within a year."

The Quick Kill system consists of a multi-mission, fire-control radar that detects and tracks incoming threats, combined with hard-kill countermeasures that serve as a hit avoidance system, enabling multi-tracking and multi-engagement of enemy fire for vehicle and squad protection.
The system's vertical launch countermeasure is unique in its ability to engage threats fired from any angle or elevation, providing all weather, full 360 degree hemispherical vehicle and crew protection with each countermeasure.

In previous tests, the system demonstrated its ability to defeat multiple threat types both from a stationary and an on-the-move platform – and it showed its multi-threat capability by defeating two simultaneous threats.

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2251

US Army and Marine Corps contracts for future UAS needs

AeroVironment, a maker of unmanned aerial systems, and four others have been given a U.S. Army procurement and support contract for small UASs.
The award is a fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a maximum value $248 million.

Under the award, recipients will compete to fulfill the Army’s future small UAS requirements.
“We have successfully competed for every major United States Department of Defense program of record involving small UAS and have delivered highly reliable systems with increasing capability to support our warfighters,” said Roy Minson, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment.

“This new IDIQ contract provides for continued procurement of small UAS, reflecting the high value of this capability. We look forward to supporting the U.S. Army and other customers with market leading small UAS solutions that anticipate the ever-evolving needs of warfighters and address the budgetary constraints of governments.”
AeroVironment produces the RQ-11B Raven, Wasp AE, RQ-20A Puma and the Shrike VTOL, small UAS which operate with a common ground control system.

Somewhere in Aghanistan on Christmas day 2012

Never stop having fun regardless of the hardships