U(C)AV ontwikkelingen

[Harald]

Our First Look At Boeing's Pre-Production MQ-25 Stingray

The new video shows the MQ-25 airframe moving from the production line to static testing at Boeing's St. Louis plant.



Boeing has provided visuals of its first pre-production example of the MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone, which the company is currently developing for the U.S. Navy. Up to this point, the MQ-25 demonstrator — which is also known as the T1 — has been the public 'face' of the Stingray program. Although Boeing does describe the airframe as a real MQ-25, we do not know for sure what the plan for this particular example is.

In a video released by Boeing today, we see the main fuselage of the pre-production MQ-25 being moved off the production line at Boeing's St. Louis plant to its static testing space. Static testing allows engineers to analyze the structural integrity of an airframe without flying it.

../..

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/our-first-look-at-boeings-pre-production-mq-25-stingray

[Harald]

https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/dsei-2023/2023/09/royal-navy-uas-trial-demonstrates-carrier-operations-capability/

Royal Navy UAS Trial Demonstrates Carrier Operations Capability

The UK Royal Navy (RN) has flown an uncrewed air system (UAS) onto and off an aircraft carrier for the first time. The successful trial demonstrated new capability for the navy and a new approach to procurement.

UAS trials reflects Royal Navy's focus on new procurement approaches

The UAS – developed and built by W Autonomous Systems (WAS) – flew from Predannack airfield (part of Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose) on Lizard Peninsula, southwest UK, to the Queen Elizabeth-class carrier HMS Prince of Wales, operating offshore. The UAS delivered its payload, and returned to Predannack.

The WAS HCMC twin-engine heavy-lift UAS can carry a 100 kg payload at ranges up to 1,000 km. To launch and land, it needs a 150 m runway, which will be found at a shore base or onboard a carrier. Its flight operations are supported by an autopilot system.

In an 8 September press statement, the RN noted that its UAS capability development programme has twin aims: developing capacity to re-supply carriers at sea with food, spares, and other stores, without using crewed helicopters; and taking initial steps in building safe integration when operating uncrewed aircraft from RN platforms that also operate crewed aircraft.

.../...

[Sparkplug]

LongShot Air-To-Air Combat Drone Bid Won By General Atomics

The LongShot program is centered on developing an air-to-air missile-armed drone that fighters and bombers can launch and control.

byJoseph Trevithick| PUBLISHED Sep 7, 2023 9:17 PM EDT


GA-ASI

he U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has picked General Atomics to build an air-launchable uncrewed aircraft capable of firing air-to-air missiles as part of its LongShot program. General Atomics says that it hopes to begin flight testing this drone, which could give fighters and bombers new flexibility to engage aerial threats across longer distances, before the end of the year.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) revealed its selection as the sole awardee for the next phase of the LongShot program late this evening. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced that it awarded its first round of LongShot contracts to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, back in 2021, but work on the project had actually begun the previous year.

.../...

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/longshot-air-to-air-combat-drone-bid-won-by-general-atomics

[silvester herc]

[Harald]

India confirms AoN to acquire 31 MQ-9Bs



The Indian government has accorded an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the procurement of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9B high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS).

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 25 June that the country's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had accorded the AoN on 15 June to acquire 31 MQ-9Bs for the three services of the military. According to the statement, 16 of the aircraft to be acquired are SkyGuardians and 15 are SeaGuardians. The announcement was made via state-owned information network Press Information Bureau (PIB).

Janes understands that the acquisition will provide the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force with eight SkyGuardians each. The Indian Navy is to operate all 15 SeaGuardians.

The aircraft are to be acquired through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, the MoD said. The AoN also includes associated equipment acquisitions. According to the MoD, the US government has cited an estimated price of USD3.072 billion for the aircraft and equipment.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/defence/latest/india-confirms-aon-to-acquire-31-mq-9bs

[Ace1]

Wat meer info over de LUNA drone van Rheinmetall.

https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/products/unmanned-systems/luna#anchor-luna-ng

[Ace1]

[Ace1]

Rheinmetall Unveils Multi-Purpose ?Game Changer? Drone



Rheinmetall recently unveiled a multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with reconnaissance and combat features.

The Rheinmetall Combat Drone is based on the German arms maker?s Luna NG reconnaissance drone and can carry the Hero-R type loitering munition.

?The Rheinmetall Combat Drone is the game changer for protecting your troops and fighting tactically relevant targets,? the company stated.

?Effectors as payloads transform the multipurpose drone from a sensor-to-shooter system into a highly efficient means of reconnaissance with com/network relay and SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) capabilities.?

Based on Luna NG
The NG is the latest in the Luna family of reconnaissance drones, with an endurance of 12 hours and a data link range of 100 kilometers (62 miles). Satellite Communication would provide it with increased range.

The robust fiberglass composite drone has a take-off weight of 40 kilograms (88 pounds) and a service ceiling of 5,000 meters (16,404 feet).

The runway-independent vehicle can be launched with a rope hoist catapult and landed with a parachute and has stealth features with low acoustic, thermal, and radar signatures.

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/04/20/rheinmetall-game-changer-drone/

[Harald]

Royal Navy Plans Carrier Trial For Mojave STOL UAS

https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/cne-2023/2023/05/royal-navy-plans-carrier-trial-for-mojave-stol-uas/

[Sparkplug]

Tests met drones vanaf Britse vliegdekschip gepland  ( interessante ontwikkelingen ! )

De Amerikaanse vliegtuigbouwer General Atomics zal vanaf een Brits vliegkampschip tests gaan uitvoeren om met drones te vliegen. De intentie voor het gunnen van een contract aan General Atomics maakte de Britse marine onlangs bekend. General Atomics is bezig met het project Mojave, een drone voor een korte start- en landingsbaan.

https://marineschepen.nl/nieuws/Tests-vanaf-Brits-vliegdekschip-met-drones-310523.html

Zat ruimte op het vliegdek van de Queen Elizabeth-klasse. De spanwijdte van de Mojave is ook ingekort t.o.v. de MQ-9B (16 meter om 24 meter). De Mojave is ongeveer net zo breed als een Fairey Gannet.


Illustratie van een Mojave, landend op een carrier. De wingspan van de Mojave is 16 meter. (Foto: General Atomics)

[Harald]

Tests met drones vanaf Britse vliegdekschip gepland  ( interessante ontwikkelingen ! )

De Amerikaanse vliegtuigbouwer General Atomics zal vanaf een Brits vliegkampschip tests gaan uitvoeren om met drones te vliegen. De intentie voor het gunnen van een contract aan General Atomics maakte de Britse marine onlangs bekend. General Atomics is bezig met het project Mojave, een drone voor een korte start- en landingsbaan.

https://marineschepen.nl/nieuws/Tests-vanaf-Brits-vliegdekschip-met-drones-310523.html

[Harald]

New Kit Will Allow MQ-9 Reaper To Fly From Navy Flattops

A STOL MQ-9 has the potential to provide persistent eyes in the sky for big deck amphibious assault ships, carriers, and Marines operating from austere locations.



https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/new-kit-will-allow-mq-9-reaper-to-fly-from-navy-flattops

[Harald]

MQ-9B SeaGuardian?: Ready Today for Peer Competition in the Maritime Domain



Anti-submarine warfare

And MQ-9B SeaGuardian is the only platform of its kind that can carry, release, and monitor sonobuoys ? indeed, the platform has revolutionized anti-submarine warfare.

In demonstrations and exercises, the SeaGuardian has proven repeatedly how well it can integrate with U.S. Navy and international forces. With a maximum endurance of around 30 hours in some configurations, the aircraft can supply a strike group or other commander with intelligence of a richness and quantity that nothing else can, including overhead assets. MQ-9B can detect and identify a vessel of interest and then preserve custody of that target for hours. With other aircraft working in teams, navies or coast guard officials can watch a key waterway or a target of interest for as long as they want.

In exercises with the U.S. Navy off the West Coast of the United States, the SeaGuardian has shown it can release sonobuoys, detect submarines, and monitor them over time. The SeaGuardian also can monitor sonobuoys released by other aircraft, increasing the utility of integrating unmanned platforms with the Navy?s existing human-crewed ones.



https://www.ga-asi.com/mq-9b-seaguardian-ready-today-for-peer-competition-in-the-maritime-domain

[Ace1]

Royal Navy to trial General Atomics Project Mojave STOL drone

A UK MoD pre-contract notice has revealed that the UK RN plans to trial General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc's (GA-ASI) Project Mojave Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) UAS.

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According to MoD documents, the ministry intends to award a single-source contract worth ?1.5 million to GA-ASI for a seven-month trial and experimentation period to demonstrate 'a threshold capability for a Short Takeoff and Landing Uncrewed Air Vehicle (UAV).'

Mojave is a STOL-capable version of the MQ-9B MALE UAV which is designed to fly from aircraft carriers.

In its lightest configuration, the Mojave can take off in around 122m, less than half the length of the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers' 284m flight deck. Carrying 12 Hellfire missiles, the take-off distance increases to 304m.

Key to its potential capabilities

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air-warfare/royal-navy-to-trial-general-atomics-project-mojave-short-take-off-and-landing-drone/

De rest zit helaas achter de betaalmuur.

[Ace1]

British aircraft carrier to trial ?Project Mojave? drones

The Royal Navy has announced its intention to award a contract to General Atomics to trial ?Project Mojave? drones onboard a British aircraft carrier.
The contract, which has a non-qualifying single-source status, is worth up to ?1,500,000 (ex VAT) and is projected to span a period of seven months.

Under the ambitious Project Mojave, General Atomics is set to undertake trials and experiments aimed at showcasing the threshold capabilities of a Short Take off and Landing Uncrewed Air Vehicle aircraft.



The contract notice reads:

?The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a Single Source Non-Qualifying Defence Contract valued at up to ?1,500,000 (ex VAT) with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Limited (?the Contractor?) for a period of [7] months for the delivery of work to undertake trials/experiments in order to demonstrate a threshold capability for a Short Take off and Landing Uncrewed Air Vehicle (UAV).?

This trial forms part of the UK?s move to integrate cutting-edge drone technology within its armed forces, potentially revolutionising its military operations.

As we reported last year, the possibility of this initiative was on the horizon. General Atomics had demonstrated a concept for a carrier-capable MQ-9B drone, a type already being integrated into service with the Royal Air Force.

The manufacturer previously announced plans to develop a short takeoff and landing (STOL) capable MQ-9B aircraft, a model which includes the SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian variants.

The STOL capability, initially tested on a modified Gray Eagle Extended Range platform in 2021, is now being developed on the MQ-9B. This model has already been chosen by the Royal Air Force, the Belgium Ministry of Defence, and the Japanese Coast Guard.


The MQ-9B STOL configuration involves an optional wing and tail kit that can be installed in less than a day, allowing operators to modify the aircraft in a hangar or on a flight line.

This proof-of-concept trial will utilise existing technology and services provided by General Atomics. By addressing a range of capability problem sets, the initiative is set to determine the future scope of UAV integration and support.

C. Mark Brinkley, spokesman for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc, tweeted:


?There?s a lot of speculation today about the possibility of our Mojave STOL aircraft launching from a carrier in the near future. From the moment we announced our Mojave concept, operating from ships was always on the table. But let?s not all rush up to the flight deck just yet.

We have already demonstrated Mojave?s short take-off and landing capability in less than 300 feet. That was under optimal conditions on the ground, so add some feet for fuel, weapons and payloads. Regardless, our engineers know that a tactically-relevant Mojave can take off from a runway shorter than the decks of many carriers or amphibious ships used around the world. Moving from a ground-based STOL demo to a ship-based STOL demo has always been a priority for the Mojave project, and we?ve been discussing that with fleets worldwide.

We have also discussed modifying the MQ-9B with a STOL conversion kit that replicates many of the attributes of our Mojave demonstrator, and we?ve shared those ideas publicly at trade shows and on social media. We have conducted feasibility studies for both platforms, and continued our experimentation. We have big plans, but plans take time to execute. Mojave is a remarkable aircraft, and I?m impressed by it every time I see it fly. Our team is working hard on it. But whether it flies from a ship in the near future still remains to be seen. Fingers crossed.?

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-aircraft-carrier-to-trial-variant-of-reaper-drones/