15 Jun 05. Galileo Avionica, a SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems company, has obtained the Permit to Fly from ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, acting on behalf of EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) for two unmanned air vehicles called “Falco demo”. These two UAVs will have the civil identification number (I-RAIE, I-RAIF) for research and development tasks. It is the first time that an Aviation Authority has given a UAV system the same type of authorization usually given to manned aircraft. The “Falco demo” Permit to Fly is the first step towards obtaining the full civil certification for the FALCO UAV. When the Civil Certification is obtained, the FALCO UAV will be used for airborne surveillance. It will perform low cost 24/7 surveillance
22 Jun 05. Lockheed Martin has received a $61m plus-up to the Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract as a result of the recent Future Combat System (FCS) restructure. The contract modification was issued by the FCS Lead System Integrator (LSI), The Boeing Company. This modification increases the number of prototypes being delivered from 17 to 19, with the first prototypes delivered in the third quarter of 2010. Deliveries will consist of Transport, Armed Robotic Vehicle – Assault Light (ARV-A(L)) and Countermine variants, with final deliveries in spring 2011.
17 Jun 05. General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $72,735,659 firm fixed price contract modification. This action will exercise an option of Predator requirements including acceleration of the delivery of 17 aircraft, produce 15 MQ-1L Block 10 aircraft, Support Equipment, aircraft initial spares, readiness spares package kits, and multi-aircraft ground control station initial spares. At this time, $54,551,742 of the funds has been obligated. This work will be complete by September 2008. The Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-04-C-4005, P00010).
20 Jun 05. U.K. May Look to Europe for UCAVs. Cooperation With U.S. Faces Tech-Transfer, Work Share Snags. Britain has dismantled a £10bn ($18bn) effort to develop a long-range strike capability, and has reassembled some of its parts in a new office that will further explore the possibilities of UCAVs. Called the Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicle (Experiment), or SUAV(E), the new program will draw partially on work with a U.S.-led UCAV project and is intended to help make procurement decisions around 2009. But emerging issues of industrial participation and technology transfer may lead the British to turn their back on future U.S. efforts in the field and join the French-led Neuron program instead. SUAV(E) emerged within the last month, following the quiet breakup of the 7-year-old Future Offensive Air System (FOAS). That massive program looked at bombers, cruise missiles and UCAVs as possible replacements for the Royal Air Force’s Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft. Some elements of FOAS will be merged with existing project teams at the Defence Procurement Agency and renamed the Future Combat Air Capability effort. One industry source said their requirements may be filled by existing or planned equipment, such as the Storm Shadow cruise missile and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. “If we decide to take these systems forward, it will be as a number of discrete programs,” an agency spokesman said. Meanwhile, the FOAS team leader, Air Cmdr. Andy Sweetman, has been reassigned to run SUAV(E), an effort to look at UCAV technology, cost-effectiveness and interoperability in various long-range roles. (Source: ANDREW CHUTER/Defense News)
23 Jun 05. Team JUEP (Joint UAV Experimentation Programme), led by prime contractor Thales UK and including Boeing and QinetiQ, has successfully controlled flights of a UAV from a Royal Navy (RN) warship. This is the first time this has been achieved in the UK, a