Date: 16 June, 2008
At the Association for Unmanned Vehicles International (AUVSI) 2008 North America conference and exhibit, Raytheon featured unmanned capabilities from across the company. The triad of platforms, sensors and ground stations was showcased to media attending the San Diego event.
Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) exhibited its KillerBee unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which it is developing in partnership with Swift Engineering, that is competing for the U.S. Navy’s Small Tactical UAS and U.S. Marine Corp’s Tier II requirements. Additionally, RMS highlighted its Cobra unmanned test platform.
“KillerBee offers the warfighter an affordable unmanned aircraft system, and the Swift Engineering vehicle has both longer endurance and the ability to carry a larger payload,” said Ken Pedersen, vice president of RMS Advanced Programs.
Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) represents the company’s core market sensing capability. At AUVSI, SAS displayed the newest sensor to join Raytheon’s turreted electro-optical/infrared product line, the U.S. Army Common Sensor Payload (CSP). Raytheon was awarded a delivery-indefinite quantity contract in November 2007 with options up to US$1.2 billion and 875 units. To date, the company has received three orders for 18 sensors, totalling US$28 million.
“We expect to deliver the first CSP system design and development unit in September. CSP will provide Army Aviation with robust reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition mission capabilities,” said Neil Peterson, strategy and business development director for SAS’ Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconaissance group.
“The CSP IDIQ can be a model for joint force commonality, delivering common sensor acquisition; common training, operation and display; and common lifecycle support.”
“Unmanned platform and sensor performance is only as good as the quality of information delivered to the warfighter and decision makers on the battlefield,” said Mark Bigham, business development director for Raytheon Information and Intelligence Systems (IIS). “And that quality information cannot be generated if the UAS is not safely and precisely controlled.” Raytheon IIS demonstrated its Universal Control System (UCS) for mission control of unmanned aircraft and sensors. IIS recently was awarded a US$10 million contract from the U.S.
Air Force Air National Guard (ANG) to design and develop and field the next-generation, integrated Predator Operations Center (POC). Providing increased mission management, effectiveness in predicting weather and situational awareness for UAS missions. The new ANG POC provides a standard open architecture that allows the ANG to easily integrate new services and applications.