Insitu has announced that it has been awarded the Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot V contract for RQ-21A Blackjack. The $71 million follow-on contract award includes six LRIP systems with options for two additional LRIP systems. This contract also includes an option year for nine Full Rate Production (FRP) systems. The FRP decision review is expected this fall.
“This contract award paves the road for Blackjack’s continued and future fleet integration,” said Col.Eldon Metzger, program manager for the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office. “It is at the tactical edge for Marine and Navy units and the foundation to support future system enhancements.”
“Blackjack delivers an organic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance UAS that is runway-independent and founded on an open architecture that allows for implementation of innovative payloads to meet critical operational demands,” said Ryan M. Hartman, Insitu’s president and CEO. “We are proud to provide the Sailors and Marines with reliable, capable systems that support their warfighting needs.”
RQ-21A has significantly larger payload mass, volume and power than other small UAS currently being used in theater. The system includes electro-optic and mid-wave infrared sensors with a laser rangefinder and infrared marker.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded the STUAS Engineering Manufacturing Development contract to Insitu in 2010 to begin the development of RQ-21A Blackjack, a variant of the company’s Integrator unmanned system. The program achieved Milestone C in 2013, delivered the first LRIP system in 2014, and achieved initial operational capability in January.
Photo:RQ-21A Blackjack recovers aboard the USS Mesa Verde
Source: Press Release