UNMANNED SYSTEMS UPDATE
14 Jan 09. The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas for $49,750,000. This contact is for the Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Research and Evaluation program. At this time, $584,168 has been obligated. AFRL/PKDA, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8650-09-D-7906).
15 Jan 09. NASA and Northrop Grumman Corporation unveiled the first Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to be used for environmental science research, heralding a new application for the world’s first fully autonomous high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft. NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center and Northrop Grumman are returning NASA’s two Global Hawk aircraft to flight this year under a Space Act Agreement signed in May 2008. Northrop Grumman will share in use of the aircraft to conduct its own flight demonstrations for expanded markets, missions and airborne capabilities, including UAS integration into national airspace.