U.S. Army officials order additional 24 RQ-7B V2 shadow UAS
NewsApril 26, 2016
HUNT VALLEY, Md.U.S. Army officials ordered an additional 24 RQ-7B V2 Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft system (UAS) from Textron Systems Unmanned Systems. The contract is estimated to be $116.5 million with deliveries to start in 2018.
The Shadow V2 is designed for multi-mission, single-sortie profiles, and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T). It includes a high-bandwidth, encrypted data link that enables the aircraft to carry payloads ranging from high-definition video to secure control for prosecution missions.
The Army is currently teaming the Shadow V2 system with its Apache helicopter fleet for scouting missions within its combat aviation brigades. The Department of Defense (DoD) previously purchased 117 Shadow systems that are operated by the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Command.
Read more on unmanned systems:
Intelligent I/O eases shifting payload requirements in unmanned underwater vehicles
MUM-T operations on the U.S. Army's UAS roadmap
Small UAS payloads pose SWaP and bandwidth challenges
