Category Archives: MRO’s

Northrop Grumman To Modernize Marine Corps F/A-18 Data Links

AN/AAQ-28(v) LITENING targeting system pod. (Photo: Northrop Grumman.)

Northrop Grumman on Thursday announced the Marine Corps chose to use the company to modernize LITENING data links for its Boeing F/A-18 A-D Hornet aircraft.

This specifically means the company will provide Advanced Tactical Data Links (ATDL) to the electro-optical/infrared­ (EO/IR) targeting pods. The company said the ATDL will facilitate faster transfer speeds for more rapid decision-making compared to previous waveforms.

Northrop Grumman noted the ATDL for the LITENING pod will be the first tactical aircraft data link to use the Bandwidth Efficient Common Data Link (BE-CDL) waveform, “which enables faster communications.”

ATDL will specifically replace the current Plug-and-Play II data link and can be added to any fourth generation or newer LITENING pods. It includes an updated processor, software-defined radio, wideband antenna and improved data recorder. The company said this includes G4, SE, LDP, Color and Large Aperture pod variants.

LITENING EO/IR targeting pods detect, acquire, identify and track targets at extended ranges. It facilitates missions including precision targeting, air superiority, close air support, surveillance and humanitarian assistance. The company boasted the pod’s modular design allows upgrades to keep up with mission needs. 

“LITENING’s high-definition sensors on the advanced EO/IR targeting pod gather critical information, enabling more rapid decision making. The ATDL enhancement is like upgrading to better Wi-Fi by building on LITENING’s already proven data links, making live feeds immediately available on the ground – a critical capability in our modern environment,” James Conroy, vice president for navigation, targeting and survivability at Northrop Grumman, said in a statement.

Northrop Grumman said it has thus far delivered more than 900 LITENING pods to U.S. and international customers combined.

The company also noted this update comes after previous LITENING data link integrations like the NET-T, that operates like a secure airborne Wi-Fi router, Mobile Ad-hoc Networks and Freedom 550 radios to connect multiple users across various aircraft generations and domains.

The ATDL two-way multi-band link will allow transmission of video, still images on metadata, with operators in the air and on the ground both looking at the same live video feed at the same time. 

In October, Northrop Grumman said the LITENING pod finished its initial flight testing on the newer Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, putting it through maneuvers representative of operational situations.

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

The post Northrop Grumman To Modernize Marine Corps F/A-18 Data Links appeared first on Avionics International.

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Navy Picks SNC To Develop More Prototype Logistics Drones

The Sierra Nevada Corp.’s unmanned Voly Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. (Image: Sierra Nevada Corp.)

Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) on Dec. 5 said the Navy awarded it a prototype other transaction (OT) agreement to develop the technology to support autonomous unmanned air transport capability for naval logistics purposes.

Under this award, SNC will use its artificial intelligence systems with its Voly vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Unnamed Aerial System (UAS) to help the Navy with its project to improve light cargo resupply capabilities via unmanned systems, the Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS program.

The program specifically looks to solve a Navy challenge in being able to deliver light cargo over long ocean distances to reduce the burden on manned aircraft.

SNC said it will help develop the technology to help support the Navy with an on-demand, autonomous, unmanned air transport delivery capability needed for the U.S. Navy’s fleet and Military Sealift Command (MSC).

“The autonomous movement of critical parts and supplies in distributed maritime operations increases operational readiness and warfighting capability of embarked ships or aircraft,” the company said.

The company boasted its Voly UAS is a hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft with payload, range and endurance capabilities needed for multi-role operations. SNC underscored the aircraft can simultaneously carry cargo, additional fuel and sensors.

“SNC is proud to partner with the Navy to develop this critical game-changing technology. Our Voly solution with its long-haul capability, provides the technological advancements needed for safe and reliable resupply to geographically dispersed maritime environments,” Josh Walsh, SNC vice president of programs, said in a statement.

In 2020 the Navy said historic data showed warships often moved into partially or non-mission capable status due to logistics issues like electronics parts or assemblies that usually weigh under 50 pounds. Missions to deliver these kinds of parts are currently performed by H-60 helicopters or V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, but this review  spurred the service to look into using Group-3 size UAS.

At the time, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) had already acquired a Skyways Air Transportation Inc. drone for this Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS experimental cargo transport.

SNC argued its unmanned VTOL aircraft has significant advantages over other UAVs or conventional fixed-wing aircraft for this kind of mission: they can perform point takeoff and landing with minimal space requirements, feature redundant lift motors and avionics, increased maneuverability, and the ability to land after engine or other catastrophic failures.

The company said its part in the Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS program envisions Navy assets bringing large amounts of supplies to forward operating bases where fleets of unmanned aircraft can deliver needed parts to vessels in complicated maritime environments. This could help deliver the cargo to more widespread destinations.

“An unmanned resupply capability allows users to overcome the contested logistics challenges of the future and ensures forward-deployed units are stocked with parts and supplies needed for operations,” said Tim Harper, SNC vice president of business development. 

“The Voly hybrid UAS represents a new opportunity to completely disrupt how critical assets are delivered, by minimizing personnel and filling the gap where traditional delivery methods are unable to achieve the mission,” he continued.

Previously, in 2021 NAWCAD awarded PteroDynamics a contract to supply three of its VTOL drones for the Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS program.

The Voly originated as a drone made by the former company Volansi, which SNC acquired in 2022.

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

The post Navy Picks SNC To Develop More Prototype Logistics Drones appeared first on Avionics International.

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Rolls-Royce: F130 Engine for B-52 Passes CDR

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress with the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron takes off from RAF Fairford, England on Dec. 10th. The squadron returned to Barksdale AFB, La. after completing the Bomber Task Force deployment, the Air Force said (U.S. Air Force Photo)

Rolls-Royce said on Friday that its F130 engine passed a U.S. Air Force Critical Design Review (CDR)–a step “clearing the way for final development, test, and production efforts to proceed and taking another step toward delivering the upgraded B-52J” to the service.

The Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) and Radar Modernization Program (RMP) are the Air Force’s key modernization efforts for the Boeing B-52H bomber. The modernized bombers will carry the B-52J designation.

The F130’s blessing in CDR “is the culmination of over two years of detailed design work and close collaboration between teams at Rolls-Royce, the Air Force and Boeing,” Rolls-Royce said on Friday. “The engine testing program is on track to begin altitude testing in February 2025 at the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee.”

Rolls-Royce said on March 1 last year that it had begun testing the F130 at the company’s outdoor testing site at NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

The testing at NASA Stennis “marked the first time F130 engines were tested in the dual-pod engine configuration of the B-52 aircraft,” the company has said, and the Rapid Twin Pod Tests, which finished over the summer, “played a key role in validating Rolls-Royce’s analytical predictions, further de-risking the integration of the F130 engine onto the B-52J and meeting test goals,” Rolls-Royce said on Friday.

In September 2021, the Air Force awarded Rolls-Royce a CERP contract worth potentially $2.6 billion through fiscal 2038 to outfit the B-52 with the F130 engine, based on Rolls-Royce’s commercial BR725 carried on Gulfstream G650 business jets.

Under CERP, the Air Force is moving to put the Rolls-Royce F130 engines on the bomber to replace the B-52H’s Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 engines, which the Air Force has said it wants to retire by 2030.

Rolls-Royce has said it may deliver more than 600 F130s for the eight-engine B-52 under CERP to extend the life of the venerable B-52 another 30 years–an extension which may mean that the B-52 becomes a centenarian. Rolls-Royce is to build the engines in its Indianapolis plant. The company said that it has invested $1 billion in recent years to modernize its manufacturing, testing, and advanced technology facilities in Indiana.

The Rolls-Royce CERP win in 2021 was significant for the company. For CERP, the Air Force wanted a new, commercial B-52 engine up to 30 percent more fuel efficient than the TF33.

In July, the Air Force said that it is undertaking a cost reduction effort for CERP and the RMP, which had not reached but was abutting a significant Nunn-McCurdy unit cost breach of 15 percent over the baseline.

The military services must notify the congressional defense committees of such cost breaches.

A version of this story originally appeared in affiliate publication Defense Daily.

The post Rolls-Royce: F130 Engine for B-52 Passes CDR appeared first on Avionics International.

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The Latest Plug-and-Play Avionics Upgrades: Streamlined Solutions for Modern Aircraft

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

The demand for easy-to-install avionics upgrades has increased as airlines strive to keep pace with technology without extensive downtime. Plug-and-play avionics allow for seamless installation, making it easier for airlines to adopt new capabilities without complete system overhauls.

Here’s a rundown of the latest plug-and-play solutions and the aircraft they support.

Garmin G5000 Integrated Flight Deck

One of the most sought-after plug-and-play avionics upgrades, the Garmin G5000 offers advanced navigation and communication capabilities. With touchscreen controls and enhanced situational awareness features, it is compatible with a range of aircraft, including Cessna Citation X and Beechcraft King Air.

The G5000 allows for rapid integration, providing upgrades like ADS-B compliance, Synthetic Vision Technology, and enhanced weather data access, all with minimal downtime.

Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion

Known for its modular design, Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line Fusion is available as a plug-and-play option for various aircraft, including Bombardier’s Challenger 604 and King Air 350.

This suite includes high-definition displays, real-time graphical weather updates, and predictive wind shear monitoring. With its intuitive touchscreen interface, Pro Line Fusion also supports Synthetic Vision, helping pilots navigate challenging environments with greater confidence.

Honeywell’s SmartView Synthetic Vision

Honeywell’s SmartView Synthetic Vision is a versatile upgrade applicable to multiple models, including Dassault’s Falcon 7X and Embraer’s Legacy 450. It enhances situational awareness with 3D terrain displays and predictive alerts, while its plug-and-play nature minimizes aircraft downtime.

Airlines can upgrade to SmartView with ease, ensuring pilots have access to terrain, navigation, and weather data in a streamlined interface.

L3Harris’s Lynx NGT-9000

The Lynx NGT-9000 from L3Harris is a compact ADS-B transponder that provides traffic alerts, weather radar, and airspace information. Designed to replace legacy transponders with minimal installation requirements, the Lynx NGT-9000 is compatible with aircraft such as the Piper PA-46 and Cirrus SR22.

The Lynx NGT-9000’s plug-and-play installation appeals to operators seeking compliance with NextGen requirements while avoiding the cost of a full avionics overhaul.

Universal Avionics’ InSight Display System

Universal Avionics’ InSight Display System offers flexibility, allowing operators to install it on aircraft such as the Dassault Falcon and Embraer Legacy 600. The InSight system integrates weather radar, ADS-B, Synthetic Vision, and intuitive multi-function displays.

The InSight Display System’s modular nature makes it an attractive option for operators seeking a cost-effective upgrade path without compromising on advanced functionality.

Why Plug-and-Play Matters

The appeal of plug-and-play avionics systems lies in their adaptability and efficiency. For commercial and business aircraft, the ability to update avionics without significant downtime is invaluable.

As technology advances, plug-and-play solutions ensure that operators can keep pace, equipping pilots with cutting-edge tools for navigation, weather monitoring, and communication. Companies like Garmin, Collins Aerospace, and L3Harris are at the forefront of this trend, helping the aviation industry modernize with minimal disruption.

This article also appears in our partner publication Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News. You can reach John at: jpersinos@accessintel.com

The post The Latest Plug-and-Play Avionics Upgrades: Streamlined Solutions for Modern Aircraft appeared first on Avionics International.

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Military Avionics Innovations Migrating to the Commercial Sector: Key Products and Vendors

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

The aviation industry has a long history of adopting military technologies, and avionics is no exception. From enhanced situational awareness systems to advanced navigation tools, several innovations initially developed for military use are making their way into commercial cockpits. This trend has been unfolding for decades and it’s on track to accelerate in 2025.

Here’s a look at some recent military-to-commercial transfers and the companies behind them.

Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS)

Originally designed for military aircraft, Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) use advanced imaging to create a real-time, 3D landscape of the environment, enhancing situational awareness in low-visibility conditions.

Commercial vendors like Honeywell and Garmin are incorporating SVS into aircraft such as the Gulfstream G500 and G600, providing pilots with virtual topography on cockpit displays. Honeywell’s Primus Epic SVS, for instance, enhances safety for both military and commercial applications.

Enhanced Flight Vision Systems (EFVS)

EFVS combines thermal imaging and radar technology to help pilots “see” through fog, snow, and other visual obstructions.

Rockwell Collins, a key player in military avionics, now supplies EFVS to the commercial sector. The company’s head-up display system, installed on the B787 and Gulfstream G650, overlays infrared imagery on flight paths, giving pilots near-perfect visibility even in challenging conditions.

Fly-By-Wire (FBW) Systems

Military jets were among the first to adopt fly-by-wire (FBW) technology, which replaces manual controls with electronic systems, allowing for quicker responses.

Commercial aviation adopted FBW with models like the A320 and the B777, and now FBW advancements from companies like Thales and BAE Systems are standard in modern commercial aircraft, including the B787 and A350. These systems enhance stability and make commercial flights more adaptable to changing flight conditions.

Distributed Avionics Architecture

Military aircraft like the F-35 employ distributed avionics, where critical systems are modularly integrated, allowing upgrades without a full overhaul.

Inspired by this flexibility, commercial manufacturers like Honeywell have introduced similar architectures for the B737 MAX family and A320neo. This enables airlines to update navigation, weather detection, or even cabin systems independently, minimizing downtime and reducing costs.

Looking Ahead

The ongoing migration of military technologies is enabling commercial cockpits to become safer, more efficient, and resilient.

Enhanced resilience is another advantage, with military-grade cybersecurity tools and communication systems protecting commercial aircraft from emerging cyber threats. As a result, the overall reliability and operational safety of these aircraft are significantly bolstered.

Vendors like Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, and Thales are pushing these innovations, and with the aviation industry’s demand for advanced, reliable technology, military-inspired systems are likely to play a central role in the future of commercial aviation.

The incorporation of such technologies has positively influenced base values and lease rates of aircraft equipped with them. Airlines and leasing companies see these tech-enhanced planes as long-term investments, as the added safety and efficiency features reduce operational risks and enhance fleet performance. This trend supports steady asset values, which benefits stakeholders across the aviation industry.

This article also appears in our partner publication Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News. You can reach John at: jpersinos@accessintel.com

The post Military Avionics Innovations Migrating to the Commercial Sector: Key Products and Vendors appeared first on Avionics International.

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The Paradox of Cockpit Automation: What the Future Holds in Avionics

Global Avionics Round-Up from Aircraft Value News (AVN)

In recent years, cockpit automation has transformed aviation, enhancing safety and efficiency. While reducing pilot workload and minimizing human error, automation has also introduced concerns regarding dependency and situational awareness.

As the aviation industry pushes toward increasingly autonomous cockpits, weighing the advantages and drawbacks of automation is essential. Are we entering a risky era of “robo-pilots”? Let’s take a closer look at the paradox of cockpit automation.

Pros of Cockpit Automation

Enhanced Safety: Automation enables precision in tasks like navigation, monitoring, and weather adjustments, reducing the likelihood of human error. For example, systems like Airbus’s A350 Autoland allow pilots to make precision landings in low visibility, essential in busy or adverse-weather airports.

Reduced Pilot Workload: Automated systems such as autopilot and auto-throttle on aircraft like the Boeing 787 relieve pilots during long-haul flights, allowing them to focus on higher-level decision-making. This shift supports fatigue management, a critical factor for long flights.

Improved Fuel Efficiency: Automation optimizes routes, altitude, and speed to minimize fuel consumption. Systems like Honeywell’s Flight Management System (FMS), used in the B777 and A320neo, analyze multiple data points to select fuel-efficient paths, which can result in significant cost savings.

Cons of Cockpit Automation

Loss of Manual Skills: With automation handling most in-flight tasks, some pilots may find themselves with fewer opportunities to practice hands-on skills, which could be crucial in emergency scenarios. Pilots accustomed to high levels of automation on A380s, for example, may lack the same level of manual skill as those flying older, less automated aircraft.

Reduced Situational Awareness: While automation handles routine tasks, it sometimes distances pilots from real-time decision-making, impacting situational awareness. This concern was highlighted by incidents involving the B737 MAX, where pilots struggled with automated systems they weren’t adequately prepared to override.

Over-Reliance on Technology: Excessive dependency on automation may compromise a crew’s ability to handle unexpected situations. Manufacturers like Airbus are countering this trend by incorporating greater manual intervention options in their latest A350 and A321XLR models, allowing pilots to reassert control when needed.

Future Innovations in Cockpit Automation

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and sensor technology are steering aviation toward more sophisticated automated cockpits. Autonomous takeoffs, landings, and even basic in-flight decision-making are being explored by companies like Boeing and Embraer.

The A350 is leading the charge in autonomous operations, serving as a testbed for innovations in digital flight decks. As these technologies progress, aviation will face a tipping point, challenging the balance between human expertise and machine intelligence.

This article also appears in our partner publication Aircraft Value News.

John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value News. You can reach John at: jpersinos@accessintel.com

The post The Paradox of Cockpit Automation: What the Future Holds in Avionics appeared first on Avionics International.

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CCA Challenge: Accommodating Sensor Processing to Meet Size, Weight, Power, Cost Goals

Pictured is the X-62A Variable Stability In-Flight Simulator Test Aircraft (VISTA) flying over Palmdale, Calif. on Aug. 26, 2022 (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The U.S. Air Force’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) may need a significant amount of processing power for sensors and mission autonomy, and the service and industry thus face a challenge of ensuring that the drones meet size, weight, and power constraints at an Air Force targeted unit cost of $30 million or less.

“When you start talking about, on the sensor processing side, [the need for] 20 to 25 teraflops, each teraflop is one trillion calculations in a second, ” Mike Shortsleeve, the vice president of strategy and business development at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies’ inaugural Future of Airpower forum last Wednesday.

“That’s huge–just on the sensor side, dig through the clutter, find out what it [the object] is…a lot of compute processing power,” he said. “Things have gotten better–smaller, cheaper–to be able to do things, but, for us, the big aspect of this is on the sensing side where the bulk of that processing is gonna take place. What we have done, from a surrogate testing perspective, with this is we’ve looked at putting processing on one aircraft, and it feeds the others [aircraft]. We’ve done this in a live, virtual construct as well.”

“We’re trying to figure out different ways to make that happen,” he said of reducing SWaP-C–size, weight, power and cost–for CCA. “Processing, while the outlook is good, is still challenging.”

In April, the Air Force said that it had chosen General Atomics and another privately-held drone maker, Anduril Industries, for the first round of CCA–the so-called Increment 1. General Atomics offered its Gambit design and Anduril its Fury.

The first CCAs are to be air-to-air, but others may be those for intelligence or jamming missions. The Air Force has said that it plans to field 150 CCAs in the next five years to complement F-35s and possibly other manned fighters, including a manned Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft and the F-15EX.

The Air Force is refining its concept for CCA Increment 2 and has announced a buy of more Increment 1 CCAs.

“There is a huge opportunity to talk about data links [for CCA],” Mike Benitez, Shield AI‘s senior director of strategic product development and a former Air Force F-35 pilot, said at the Mitchell forum. “The data is so important. If you can make sense of that on something like a Wedgetail, an F-35, or an F-22, you can push that perception of the environment to the cognition core [on CCA], that is the real power of how you break the cost curve of these [CCA] platforms. Otherwise, you’re just going to have an unmanned F-35.”

Over the last four years, the Lockheed Martin X-62 Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft (VISTA)–an autonomous F-16–flew more than a dozen dog fights in tests with traditional fighters in DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution experiments, and, though the X-62 had no “perception” sensors of its own, it received situational awareness data about where the “bandits” were over a data pod on the X-62’s wing, Benitez said.

The post CCA Challenge: Accommodating Sensor Processing to Meet Size, Weight, Power, Cost Goals appeared first on Avionics International.

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Skunk Works Partnership Demonstrates Airborne Battle Management With AI-Controlled Aircraft

A battle manager sends real-time commands to AI-controlled aircraft during a flight test over Iowa. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

Lockheed Martin this year has been conducting flight-tests of artificial intelligence-controlled aircraft in air-to-air engagements, including a more recent demonstration where a human “battle manager” aboard a fighter jet trainer commanded AI-controlled aircraft using a computer touchscreen.

The testing is being done by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works unit in partnership with the company’s Demonstrations and Prototypes organization, and the University of Iowa’s Operator Performance Laboratory.

In the tests, the battle manager aboard an L-39 Albatros assigned targets to two AI-controlled L-29 Delfin military jet trainers that worked together to defeat two mock enemy jets using simulated weapons. The AI software was developed by Skunk Works.

The AI-controlled aircraft flew with human pilots for safety purposes. The adversarial aircraft were also L-29s.

Earlier flight tests demonstrated AI-controlled air-to-ground jamming and geolocation, Lockheed Martin said on Thursday.

“The work we’re doing with the University of Iowa’s OPL is foundational for the future of air combat, where a family of crewed and uncrewed systems will work together to execute complex missions,” John Clark, vice president and general manager of Skunk Works, said in a statement.

The post Skunk Works Partnership Demonstrates Airborne Battle Management With AI-Controlled Aircraft appeared first on Avionics International.

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GA-ASI Completes Final Qualification Test For Gray Eagle’s New HFE 2.0 Engine

Gray Eagle 25M. (Photo: GA-ASI)

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) last month completed the final qualification test for its new Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) 2.0 set to power the upgraded Gray Eagle (GE) 25M drone.

Following the three-week qualification test for the 200-horsepower HFE 2.0 engine, GA-ASI said the next step is the Army certification process to also allow use of the engine on the service’s existing fleet of Gray Eagle Extended Range drones.

“This test is the culmination of the extensive durability and flight test program for the HFE 2.0 engine,” GA-ASI President David Alexander said in a statement. “It’s been great to see the outstanding test results that have validated the design and development of the HFE 2.0 engine we have worked on so passionately for the past seven years and to bring this world-class engine to the Gray Eagle fleet.”

Last month’s culminating qualification test occurred at the GA-ASI’s flight facility in El Mirage, California and was aligned with the Federal Aviation Administration’s endurance test requirements, according to the company.

“Over the last 18 months, HFE 2.0 excelled in strenuous durability testing that included 2,450 full power cycles simulating high stress conditions during three extensive test profiles of 200, 400, and 651 hours,” the company said in a statement. “Additionally, the engine completed 50 hours of flight testing across the flight envelope.”

GA-ASI has described the HFE 2.0 engine for its modernized Gray Eagle fleet as a “highly reliable low-maintenance engine with a 40 percent increase in service life providing longer maintenance-free operational period.”

In January, GA-ASI announced the first flight of its new Gray Eagle 25M UAS, which the company has noted which features the new HFE 2.0 engine and is designed with a Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) approach to allow for rapid integration of new capabilities, advanced datalinks and an upgraded propulsion system.

The first flight test of the Gray Eagle 25M, conducted in early December 2023, focused on testing flight critical operations and assessing the new variant’s HFE 2.0 engine and power generation systems.

GA-ASI has said the Gray Eagle 25M’s power generation system was designed in coordination with the Army’s Project Manager Endurance Uncrewed Aircraft System (PM EUAS), which it added will decrease “major maintenance actions and virtually eliminates the need for overhaul.”

The Army awarded GA-ASI a production contract for Gray Eagle 25M worth up to $389 million in early December 2023 and in late May the Army National Guard placed an order for 12 of the new drones.

GA-ASI last month noted it worked with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems to design the HFE 2.0’s dual brushless generator, which it said will deliver over 50 percent more electrical power to support new payloads, will “dramatically reduce” field maintenance, and it’s designed as a “drop-in replacement” for the Gray Eagle’s existing generator.

The post GA-ASI Completes Final Qualification Test For Gray Eagle’s New HFE 2.0 Engine appeared first on Avionics International.

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