Tag Archives: RQ

AeroVironment Lands $13.8 Million Army Contract

By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool

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California-based AeroVironment continues its relentless march — or the airborne equivalent of a march — to raking in every last cent of the $65.5 million the Pentagon has awarded it to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the U.S. Army.

On Wednesday, the drone maker announced the Army has released $13.8 million in incremental funding to pay for additional RQ-11B Raven small UAVs, Mantis miniature gimbaled payloads (i.e. upgraded video cameras), and spare parts. That’s roughly 5% of the amount of revenues AeroVironment collected in all of last year.

The Raven, probably AV‘s most famous product, is a 4.5-pound UAV that can be carried in a soldier’s backpack, and launched by tossing it in the air. It then sends day and nighttime real-time video imagery back to a ground controller wirelessly for “over the hill” and “around the corner” data to permit small tactical units to conduct local reconnaissance. 

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The article AeroVironment Lands $13.8 Million Army Contract originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends AeroVironment. The Motley Fool owns shares of AeroVironment. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

AeroVironment Receives $13.8 Million Order from United States Army for RQ-11B Raven Small Unmanned A

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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AeroVironment Receives $13.8 Million Order from United States Army for RQ-11B Raven Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Gimbaled Payloads

  • Third order received since May 2012 for total of $46.1 million against projected $65.5 million contract action
  • Procurement represents continued progress toward U.S. Army’s acquisition objective for Raven systems

MONROVIA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AeroVironment, Inc. (NAS: AVAV) today announced it received $13,800,062 of incremental funding on March 30, 2013 from the United States Army for continued performance of a contract action with a not to exceed value of $65,538,759. The order includes RQ-11B Raven systems, new miniature gimbaled payloads and initial spares packages, and is funded from the Army’s fiscal 2012 procurement budget. Delivery of systems, spares and payloads is scheduled for completion by July 25, 2013.

AeroVironment’s Raven Gimbaled unmanned aircraft system (Photo: Business Wire)

“The proven Raven small unmanned aircraft system continues to serve our soldiers reliably, wherever and whenever they require immediate airborne situational awareness,” said Roy Minson, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems. “Like all our customers, the Army’s needs continue to evolve, and we continue to deliver enhanced solutions to ensure that our troops maintain their battlefield advantage. The Mantis suite of gimbaled payloads is the latest example of a valuable capability enhancement to protect those who protect us.”

The RQ-11B Raven unmanned aircraft system is a 4.5-pound, backpackable, hand-launched sensor platform that provides day and night, real-time video imagery wirelessly to a portable ground control station for “over the hill” and “around the corner” reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of tactical units. U.S. armed forces use Raven systems extensively for missions such as base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning and force protection. Each Raven system typically consists of three aircraft, two ground control stations and spares.

About AeroVironment’s Family of Small UAS

RQ-11B Raven®, Wasp AE™, RQ-20A Puma and Shrike VTOL™ comprise AeroVironment’s Family of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Operating with a common ground control system (GCS), this Family of Systems provides increased capability to the warfighter that can give ground commanders the option of selecting the …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Pentagon Pays Northrop $433.5 Million for Drone Work

By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool

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On Monday, the Department of Defense announced that it has awarded drone maker Northrop Grumman a contract for $433.5 million. An “(estimated) cost-plus-fixed-fee contract,” this award hires Northrop to provide logistics support for RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles through Sept. 30, 2014.

Designated a “HALE,” or high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft, the unarmed Global Hawk is a remotely operated drone designed to take the place of Lockheed Martin‘s piloted U-2 spyplane. It is capable of flying as high as 65,000 feet above sea level at speeds of up to 400 mph, has a range of 12,000 nautical miles, and can stay aloft as long as 35 hours.


 
 

The article Pentagon Pays Northrop $433.5 Million for Drone Work originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Iran's Revolutionary Guard denies drone capture

Iran‘s powerful Revolutionary Guard is denying that it captured a foreign unmanned aircraft during a military exercise in southern Iran.

A spokesman for the Guard, Yasin Hasanali, told The Associated Press that the drone was actually being used during the drill as a supposed enemy aircraft.

Iranian media on Saturday quoted a spokesman for the Guard as saying that its electronic warfare unit had taken control of a foreign drone’s navigation system and forced it to land during the site of the military exercise.

Iran has claimed to have captured several U.S. drones, including an advanced RQ-170 Sentinel CIA spy drone in December 2011 and at least three ScanEagle aircraft.

The Guard’s military exercise, code-named Great Prophet-8, ends on Monday.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Iran says it has captured a foreign 'enemy drone'

Iran‘s powerful Revolutionary Guard says it has captured a foreign unmanned aircraft during a military exercise in southern Iran.

The official IRNA news agency on Saturday quoted Gen. Hamid Sarkheili as saying that the Guard’s electronic warfare unit spotted signals indicating that foreign drones were trying to enter Iranian airspace. Sarkheili, a spokesman for the military exercise, says Guard experts took control of one drone and brought it down near the city of Sirjan where the exercise is being held.

Sarkheili didn’t say if the drone was American. He referred to it only as a “foreign enemy drone.”

Iran has claimed to have captured several U.S. drones, including a RQ-170 Sentinel advanced drone in December 2011 and at least three ScanEagle aircraft.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Iran releases footage allegedly extracted from US drone

Iran‘s state TV has broadcast footage allegedly extracted from the CIA drone captured in 2011.

The video aired late Wednesday shows an aerial view of an airport and a city, said to be Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Iran has long claimed it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel and that it’s capable of launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.

The TV also showed images purported to be the Sentinel landing at a base in eastern Iran.

The Revolutionary Guard’s airspace chief, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, says in another part of the video that only after capturing the drone, Iran realized it “belongs to the CIA.”

Iran claims it “took control of the drone and landed it” but U.S. officials have said it malfunctioned and had to land.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Iran airs images allegedly extracted from US drone

Iran‘s state TV has broadcast footage allegedly extracted from the CIA drone captured in 2011.

The video aired late Wednesday shows an aerial view of an airport and a city, said to be Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Iran has long claimed it managed to reverse-engineer the RQ-170 Sentinel and that it’s capable of launching its own production line for the unmanned aircraft.

The TV also showed images purported to be the Sentinel landing at a base in eastern Iran.

The Revolutionary Guard’s airspace chief, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, says in another part of the video that only after capturing the drone, Iran realized it “belongs to the CIA.”

Iran claims it “took control of the drone and landed it” but U.S. officials have said it malfunctioned and had to land.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News