BAE SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA AND AAI CORPORATION FORM TEAM SHADOW™ FOR JP 129 PROGRAMME
20 Oct 03. BAE SYSTEMS Australia and AAI Corporation (USA) announced an agreement to compete as “Team Shadow” for the Commonwealth of Australia JP 129 program.
The Team Shadow JP 129 solution is based on the Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) system designed by AAI Corporation and currently providing crucial surveillance and reconnaissance support to U.S. Army forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
BAE SYSTEMS Australia brings technologies and products in ground and mission systems to meet Australian Defence Force (ADF) operational requirements.
JP 129 seeks to enhance ADF aerial surveillance capabilities for land operations and selected maritime operations through the acquisition of UAVs tailored for focal area surveillance.
“Team Shadow will provide the ADF with a substantial, deployable, TUAV capability that is interoperable with our major ally, the United States. Access to support from the BAE SYSTEMS Australia/AAI Corporation team will ensure the systems’ effectiveness in meeting the ADF’s TUAV requirements and will establish the team as a principal player in the Network Centric Warfare arena in Australia,” said Jim McDowell, chief executive officer – BAE SYSTEMS Australia.
“Building on our long pedigree in UAV systems here in Australia and drawing on the capabilities of our global company, we will extend the Shadow system to meet the current and future needs of the ADF,” said McDowell.
“The Shadow 200 is a rugged, state-of-the-art tactical UAV system that has proven its value in operations with the U.S. Army in Iraq where it has supported warfighters in more than 500 combat missions while logging more than 2,000 flight hours,” said Jim Christner, director of international operations for AAI’s Defense Systems unit.
“Shadow tactical UAV systems are in service with U.S. and allied military forces worldwide,” Christner added, “and we look forward to linking Shadow 200 operational intelligence-gathering capabilities with BAE SYSTEMS Australia ground and mission systems technologies as the Team Shadow solution for the Australian Army,” Christner added.
The U.S. Army chose AAI’s Shadow 200 as its tactical UAV system in 1999 after an extensive competition. In 2002, the Shadow TUAV program was approved for full-rate production – the first time any U.S. military UAV program has achieved that accomplishment – following a series of successful operational tests and evaluations.