Tue, Apr 19, 2011
100,000 Flight Hours Completed Each Of The Past Three
Years
The Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TUAS) developed
by AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems have achieved in excess of 600,000
total flight hours, or just over 70 years of accumulated flight
time. Approximately 90 percent of these hours were amassed in
support of combat operations at locations throughout Iraq and
Afghanistan, fueling an average of more than 100,000 combat flight
hours per year during each of the last three years.
File Photo
Key to the success of Shadow TUAS is continuous operational
readiness, which AAI supports through a comprehensive performance
based logistics (PBL) program. The Shadow TUAS program recently
received the Best PBL Implementation Award at the seventh-annual
Defense Logistics Awards ceremony, and also earned the 2010 Gerald
R. Beck System Level PBL Award presented by the Office of the
Secretary of Defense. Together with the U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Project Office, AAI's maintenance and logistics support has
driven system availability of more than 95 percent.
"It is a great privilege to work so closely with our Shadow TUAS
customers," says Division Vice President of TUAS Programs Vance
King. "Our field service representatives are deployed with system
users and work alongside them to provide maintenance and repair
services, along with system performance upgrades and enhancements.
That partnership has helped us stay attuned to dynamic user
requirements, so we can evaluate and implement next-generation
technologies to make their jobs easier, safer and more
successful."
During 2011, AAI will continue deployment of its innovative
laser designation capability, as well as the new extended wing
enhancement introduced in 2010. The extended wing provides an
additional six feet of wingspan, increasing the size of the
aircraft's fuel cell and enhancing mission endurance to a total of
nine hours. AAI also is testing a new, fuel-injected engine to
further improve aircraft performance and reliability.
In addition, AAI is exploring several communications-related
system enhancements. Among them is a Joint Tactical Radio
System-compliant communications relay capability to create a
Shadow-based aerial tier to the battlefield network. AAI also is
supporting the fielding of a new Shadow system configuration
incorporating the Tactical Common Data Link for even greater
bandwidth, data encryption capability and information security.
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