Tactical ISR Technology just published this short interview with Steven Reid, Senior Vice President and General Manager, AAI Unmanned Aicraft Systems.
Q: How does AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems differentiate itself in such a competitive industry?
A: Our heritage is full-service UAS design, manufacturing and support. That system integrator and sustainer mentality is still the core of our business ethos. There are a lot of good unmanned platforms available, but a customer has much more to consider.
Our system approach takes into account manufacturing, deployment, sustainment and the system’s overall integration into the networked battlespace. We also consider the right business model, whether it’s acquiring a UAS fleet or leasing one with our fee-for-service operations. That focus is reflected in both of our tactical systems—the Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft system [TUAS] and Aerosonde small unmanned aircraft system— and in our customer relationships. We understand their missions; we have our own people in the field operating and maintaining systems, too.
That experience validates our design process and contributes to the results we achieve for our customers.
Q: The RQ-7B Shadow TUAS is arguably AAI’s best-known product. What innovations are underway currently?
A: The world saw our vision for the nextgeneration Shadow TUAS at the 2011 Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, where we unveiled Shadow multi-mission payloads (MMP) and the Shadow M2 aircraft. Each multimission payload quickly equips the Shadow aircraft with new mission capabilities from signals intelligence to chem/bio detection.
The first in our MMP line, Fastcom, was developed in tandem with fellow Textron Systems business Overwatch and ViaSat. Fastcom creates an expeditionary, secure smartphone network, functional in the most austere of environments. MMP pods are carried aboard the hard points on the Shadow aircraft’s wings.
The Shadow M2 aircraft reflects our next-generation UAS technology offering that is affordable in a very challenging budget environment. The aircraft incorporates a heavy-fuel engine designed to aviation standards for increased endurance and reliability and a new fuselage with greater payload capacity. The MMP architecture enables the aircraft to be properly equipped in a very dynamic mission environment. Since the M2 incorporates the RQ-7B’s current avionics architecture and support equipment, all that’s required of current users is a modest upgrade program to achieve a revolutionary capability enhancement—utilizing the same logistics and substantially reducing program risk.
In that same vein, we introduced our Shadow Knight platform in late 2011 to address multiple unmanned vertical-takeoff- and-landing requirements. Harnessing the potential of Carter Aviation’s slowed rotor/compound technology, it’s possible to field a unique capability based on mature technology, much more quickly, affordably and with low risk.
Q: The command and control architecture you mentioned was utilized throughout the Army’s fall 2011 Manned Unmanned System Integration Capability [MUSIC] exercise. What’s new in that area of AAI’s business?
A: We have championed universal UAS command and control for years and that same goal is inherent to the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Universal Control Segment effort. The MUSIC demonstration showcased the benefits of a networked battlespace, integrating everyone from the pilot in the cockpit to the dismounted soldier. Our universal ground control station [UGCS] played a large role that day. We’re in the process of fielding the UGCS to control the Army’s highly capable Gray Eagle aircraft, as well as with Hunter UAS and our own Shadow TUAS. We’re also integrating the UGCS with Northrop Grumman’s long endurance multi-intelligence vehicle as well as Aurora Flight Science’s Orion unmanned aircraft.
Our One System remote video terminal [OSRVT] also made a strong showing during MUSIC. OSRVT became a formal program of record in 2011, and we’ve fielded thousands of systems, where they’re reliably delivering full motion video to edge users. The MUSIC demo showcased the future of our One System architecture. This included bi-directional capability to allow dismounted soldiers to directly control the payload for increased situational awareness, as well as our cockpit solution that puts the full-motion video product right from the unmanned aircraft directly into the helicopter pilot’s onboard multi-function display.
For the complete interview, click here