Textron Techniques Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) firm, introduced on February 1st that the Aerosonde® Unmanned Plane System aboard the usMiguel Keith, designated ESB 5, took its first operational flight. The inaugural mission follows an October 2022 contract award by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Techniques Command (NAVAIR) to supply unmanned aviation assist aboard the ship for as much as 5 years.
The ESB 5 helps a broad vary of army and aviation operations as a part of the Ahead Deployed Naval Drive. Textron Techniques is tasked to deploy its Aerosonde UAS to supply prolonged vary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) providers with enhanced mission payloads aboard the ESB 5. The corporate’s Discipline Service Representatives (FSR) will work alongside the sailors onboard to supply assist for a wide range of maritime missions.
“Having an unmanned plane system operational aboard the ship appearing as a distant sensor contributes to general maritime area consciousness and mission success,” mentioned Wayne Prender, Senior Vice President, Air Techniques. “The Aerosonde system is offering added attain past the horizon and a capability to function multi-INT ISR persistently, each nice examples of the advantages of teaming unmanned plane with manned ships.”
Along with the usMiguel Keith, the Aerosonde unmanned system helps maritime operations aboard the usHershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) and two DDG-class ships, bringing the full variety of U.S. Navy ships supported by the system to 4.
The Aerosonde system has amassed greater than 600,000 flight hours whereas serving a number of U.S. clients and worldwide allies. It’s designed for expeditionary land- and sea-based operations in austere environments and is supplied for a number of payload configurations.
