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Aircraft industry

Navy Awards Study Contracts for Integrated ISR in Manned and Unmanned Aircraft

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Naval Air Systems Command has launched a study to enhance maritime surveillance capabilities through the development of integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) in manned and unmanned aircraft. Four major defense contractors, Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, have been awarded contracts worth approximately $1 million each to support this effort. The studies aim to establish metrics for unmanned ISR missions and explore capabilities necessary for optimal performance within a family of systems, ultimately facilitating the Navy's application of manned and unmanned systems in a network-centric environment.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Naval Air Systems Command has awarded four study contracts worth approximately $1 million each to Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman for the development of integrated ISR in manned and unmanned aircraft.
  • The contracts are for five months, after which the Navy will review options to exercise an additional seven months of study to develop technical baselines and conduct risk assessment.
  • The total potential value for contractors working on the Persistent Unmanned Maritime Airborne Surveillance (PUMAS) program for the entire year is $4 million.
  • Lockheed Martin will evaluate current, emerging, and planned sensor, unmanned, and manned system capabilities projected for availability in 2013 and identify critical maritime and littoral ISR capability gaps.
  • The studies will help the Navy create a capability-based systems definition and robust systems architecture for a family of systems approach to unmanned maritime ISR.
  • The Navy aims to establish a firm foundation for planning future systems through the development of integrated ISR capabilities.

Statistics:

  • Four study contracts worth approximately $1 million each were awarded to major defense contractors.
  • The total potential value for contractors working on the PUMAS program for the entire year is $4 million.
  • The contracts are for a duration of five months, with the option to exercise an additional seven months for further study.

Sources:

  • "Naval Aviation News" (2005)
  • Access Intelligence, LLC.

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