Visiteur non identifié - Connexion - Inscrivez-vous
Athena Technologies announced today that the Athena GuideStar(TM)
successfully navigated and controlled the first drop of Textron
Defense Systems' Universal Aerial Delivery Dispenser (U-ADD) during
the USAF UAV Battlelab's Guided Dispenser Tube Initiative. The U-ADD
was dropped from a UAV on 15 October 2006 at the Ft. Huachuca Army
test facility in Arizona.
During the drop, the GuideStar controlled the U-ADD providing
stabilization of the vehicle in pitch, yaw and roll, and mapped the
flight trajectory to a designated set of coordinates for payload
deployment. Upon reaching the designated delivery latitude, longitude
and altitude position, the GuideStar commanded the payload ejection
system to eject an inert 64-lb BLU-108 Sensor Fuzed submunition. The
inert BLU-108 deployed its drogue and main parachute as intended over
the target area.
The U-ADD from Textron Defense Systems, an operating unit of
Textron Systems, is a unique multi-purpose dispenser that greatly
expands the mission capability and flexibility of military UAVs by
enabling the same unmanned aircraft to carry a variety of different
payload types at different times. Specifically, the U-ADD is a guided
dispenser that can precisely deploy various types of air delivered,
lethal, non-lethal and cargo payloads from high altitudes. Its mission
flexible payload bay allows it to carry and deploy various payloads
such as smart munitions, unattended ground sensors, PSYOPS leaflets,
medical kits and supplies.
As part of a first phase program, Athena provided guidance and
control of the U-ADD with its GuideStar 111m - a miniaturized (0.5
pound) integrated flight control and navigation software and hardware
solution. GuideStar has more than 100,000 hours of operational
performance in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"The first drop of our U-ADD marks a major milestone for Textron
Defense Systems," said Tom McNamara, Textron Defense Systems' senior
vice president for their Advanced Solutions Center. "Being able to
reliably provide various types of payload delivered via a UAV enables
the war fighter to operate with a level of flexibility in mission
planning that is unprecedented. We are also very pleased with the
U-ADD team across the various companies, who made the U-ADD flight
demonstration program a success."
"The first successful drop of the U-ADD is a major accomplishment
for both Textron Defense Systems and Athena Technologies," said Dr.
David Vos, Athena's CEO. "We are proud of our GuideStar's ability to
guide and navigate the U-ADD system to a designated target area and
deploy its payload. Being able to contribute to the success of the
U-ADD flight demonstration program is very exciting for our team."
A U-ADD Product Improvement activity will be ongoing starting in
2007 with the US Air Force's UAV Battlelab, Creech AFB, NV.
About Textron Systems
Textron Systems Corporation ("Textron Systems") provides
innovative technology solutions to meet the needs of the defense,
homeland security and aerospace communities. The company is known for
its precision smart weapons, surveillance systems, complex
intelligence and communications systems, aircraft control components,
piston engines, specialty marine craft and armored vehicles. Textron
Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avco Corporation. Avco
Corporation is wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More
information is available at www.systems.textron.com.
About Athena Technologies
Athena Technologies is a premier developer and producer of
navigation and control systems. Founded in 1998, the company produces
the GuideStar(TM) family of versatile, compact and cost-effective
flight control systems for applications such as unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs), target drones and missiles. The company is an
independent, privately held firm with headquarters in Northern
Virginia. Additional information is available at www.athenati.com.
Sélectionnez votre lecteur de news préféré ci-dessous :
Ou bien intégrez le flux XML dans votre agrégateur RSS par défaut : 
