$17 Million for Design and Development Over 12 Months

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has selected General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to design and develop an unmanned Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) aircraft under a $17.8 million (€15.4 million) contract, the company announced on 2 November.

AFRL is developing an open architecture concept Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) to facilitate rapid time-to-market and low acquisition cost, while extending and enhancing the sensing volume of manned platforms.

“Our experience in developing and delivering the most cost-effective and forward-looking UAS solutions puts GA-ASI in a great position to deliver the right ACP to meet our customer’s requirements,” commented Chris Seat, GA-ASI’s SVP of Special Programs.

The award covers the next 12 months as the base effort and, if the option is exercised, GA-ASI will spend the following 15 months manufacturing and flight-demonstrating the aircraft, with the award potentially growing to a total of $49 million.