07 Jul 14. IOMAX developing unmanned Archangel Border Patrol Aircraft. IOMAX is to develop an unmanned version of its Archangel Block 3 Border Patrol Aircraft (BPA) with the goal of substantially increasing its endurance, company officials have told IHS Jane’s. Speaking at the IOMAX’s Mooresville headquarters in North Carolina, Chief Executive Officer Ron Howard revealed that the company is working on an unmanned concept of the Archangel that should take its current 10-hour endurance up to a targeted 24 hours. “We want to get 24 hours of endurance out of this thing, which will mean changing the wing and adding some other aerodynamic improvements,” he said. A computer-generated impression of the unmanned Archangel seen by IHS Jane’s but not yet publically released, shows the standard thick-set straight-wing of the Archangel to be replaced by a sleeker design that is straked back near the wingtips to reduce drag and enhance lift. The other major aerodynamic improvement is a sleeker and cleaner fuselage. Further changes between the manned and unmanned platforms comprise changing the undercarriage from a tail-dragger to a standard tricycle configuration, for ease of handling on the ground, and incorporating an additional main fuel tank into the space normally given over to the cockpit. In its unmanned configuration, Howard noted that the aircraft would retain the Archangel’s six underwing hardpoints (which can each be equipped with dual rails/launchers), affording it a strike capability to complement its primary intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance role. While the concept is still in its design stages, Howard noted that the company already has a potential customer lined up, although he declined to release further details or potential timelines. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 Jul 14. Northrop Grumman Corporation has participated in Unified Vision 2014 (UV14), NATO’s largest trial of Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JISR) capability aimed at demonstrating and evaluating the Alliance’s ability to coordinate and deploy crucial Allied ISR systems. During the 10-day trial, U.S. European Command, in close coordination with and in support of NATO flew the high altitude long endurance unmanned aerial system (UAS), Block 30 Global Hawk, in three successful full-day sorties from Orland Main Air Station, Norway. The trial comprised of satellites, aircrafts, unmanned aerial vehicles, naval vessels, ground sensors and human intelligence from 18 NATO countries and tested NATO’s ability to gather information and fuse intelligence from multiple sources – space, in the air, on land and at sea – at different stages of operations. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system, a derivative of the combat proven Global Hawk. The Global Hawk used in the trial is currently stationed at Sigonella Air Base, Sicily, Italy which will serve as the main operating base (MOB) for NATO AGS. UV14 will help NATO prepare for the introduction of its future AGS capability and to enhance data sharing with other ISR systems provided by nations. Joint ISR (JISR) is a key factor associated with the Alliance’s strategic readiness and the success of its operations and missions. In May 2012, NATO decided to acquire an AGS system that will give commanders a comprehensive picture of the situation on the ground using five Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles. Northrop Grumman and its European industry team also supported the Joint Force Commander with daily high-resolution simulations of NATO AGS and daily live data surveillance products from interoperable systems. The ground components of the NATO AGS system supported the production and fusing of intelligence data from a wide variety of employed NATO assets, a key piece to NATO developing Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) for interoperability between the systems from many nations. Enhancing NATO’s JISR capabilities is a major theme that will b