Northrop Grumman Ryan Aeronautical Center will take off with a $93.7 million contract from the U.S. Navy.
Under the contract, the San Diego-based Ryan Aeronautical Center will build the Navy’s next generation unmanned air vehicle.
The vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle will provide real-time and near real-time data required to support intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. The aircraft can operate from any air capable ship, as well as confined land-base areas.
The unmanned vehicle can also identify targets, relay communications, conduct chemical or nuclear monitoring and observe naval gunfire support.
“This contract award is an important step for the Navy’s next generation of tactical unmanned air vehicles,” said Rear Adm. Jack Chenevey, program executive officer. “The Northrop Grumman system will let us rapidly field a (vehicle) capability that meets the war fighter requirements.”
Subcontractors for the project include Schweizer Aircraft Corp. in New York, Lockheed Martin Federal Systems Corp in New York, L-3 Communications in Utah, Northrop Grumman ESS in Maryland, Sierra Nevada Corp. in Nevada and TAMAM-Israel Aircraft Industries in Israel.
