The US Navy has awarded Textron Systems $64 million in contracts to provide drone-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services for ships of the 5th and 6th fleets.
The contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) deals stipulate the deployment of the firm’s Aerosonde small expeditionary unmanned aerial system (UAS) with enhanced mission payloads as well as skilled personnel to aid a variety of the vessels’ maritime ISR tasks.
Textron noted that $47 million of the funding will be used to assist three littoral combat ships (LCS) of the 5th fleet, which operates across the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and parts of the Indian Ocean, while the remainder will be for a single 6th fleet vessel that sails in the Mediterranean.
“The continued use of ISR support demonstrates the benefit of the COCO model and the services our Aerosonde UAS provides to the sailor,” said David Phillips, Senior Vice President Air, Land and Sea Systems,” Textron Air, Land and Sea Systems SVP David Phillips stated.
“The flexibility in a COCO mission allows the Navy to extend their capabilities while we as the contractor manage the full life cycle of the system, ultimately resulting in greater efficiency and reliability.”
Amplifying Mission Focus
Textron noted that the contracts will increase Textron’s existing ISR support coverage for the US Navy to 11 ships, with platforms encompassing other LCS-type units, Expeditionary Sea Base vessels, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
“Textron Systems has delivered COCO services with our Aerosonde UAS for over a decade, demonstrating the flexibility and value a model like this brings to the services,” Phillips explained.
“Because we are managing the full life cycle of the system, including technology integration, human factors, spares and repairs, employing the Aerosonde UAS enables the Navy customer to focus solely on their mission.”
Textron’s Aerosonde UAS
The Aerosonde UAS is available in four configurations, each designed to match specific mission and flight endurance requirements.
Depending on its variant, Aerosonde can have a wingspan of 14 feet (4 meters) and a maximum payload capacity of 50 pounds (23 kilograms).
The drone can reach altitudes up to 18,200 feet (5,547 meters) and has a range of up to 75 nautical miles (86 miles/139 kilometers).
It has a top speed of 65 knots (75 miles/120 kilometers per hour) and approximately 20 hours of operability.