Mon, Apr 19, 2010
Span Increased From 14 To 20 Feet, Hardpoints Added
The Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TUAS)is flying
with a newly-redesigned wing, AAI Corporation announced last week.
The U.S. Army has ordered 100 extended wing kits for distribution
to Army and Marine Corps units.
The Shadow aircraft's wingspan has been increased from 14 to 20
feet. This additional wingspan increases the size of the aircraft's
fuel cell, and also increases aircraft endurance from six to nearly
nine hours.
"At nearly 500,000 total flight hours, Shadow TUAS are flying
around the clock for our customers in the field," says Division
Vice President, Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Russell Walker
of AAI. "We are constantly on the lookout for ways that the system
can provide even greater overall value. Increasing mission
endurance will reduce the number of mission launches and recoveries
in a given day, likewise reducing workload for our warfighters in
the field."
The redesigned wing also includes hard points for external
stores. This modification dramatically increases the Shadow
aircraft's mission flexibility in theater, allowing it to not only
gather and disseminate electro-optical and infrared full-motion
video and metadata with its standard payload, but also to carry
additional payloads.
AAI will use a fleet update program, which officially kicked off
at the beginning of February, to install additional enhancements to
the aircraft. Wiring harness and software modifications are
designed to enable the Shadow aircraft to accept the new laser
designator payload, another new capability being fielded to Shadow
systems. In addition, a new electronic fuel injection engine and
fuel system will increase the system's reliability under the wide
range of environmental conditions encountered by fielded Shadow
systems.
"The Shadow aircraft fleet update program enables us to rapidly
transition all of these technologies to the field," says Vice
President Unmanned Aircraft Systems Steven Reid of AAI. "Our team
is dedicated to providing a seamless user experience, as well as
continuous growth of Shadow system capabilities. AAI's years of
experience as the designer, manufacturer and systems integrator for
Shadow TUAS, as well as our system maintenance, logistics and
operations expertise, give us an unmatched ability to deliver a
total value solution for our customers."
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