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SAS 2016: AeroVironment's Blackwing UAS to be launched from US Navy submarines

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Sea Air Space 2016 Online Show Daily - AeroVironment
 
 
 
SAS 2016: AeroVironment's Blackwing UAS to be launched from US Navy submarines
 
AeroVironment, Inc. yersterday announced at Sea-Air-Space 2016 the United States Navy plans to deploy its "Blackwing," a small, tube-launched unmanned aircraft system that deploys from under the surface of the sea, on manned submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles.
     
AeroVironment, Inc. yersterday announced at Sea-Air-Space 2016 the United States Navy plans to deploy its "Blackwing," a small, tube-launched unmanned aircraft system that deploys from under the surface of the sea, on manned submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles.
AeroVironment's Blackwing UAS at SAS 2016
     
Blackwing builds on AeroVironment's extensive operational experience with small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and its SwitchbladeTM Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) to provide the Navy with a low cost, submarine launched unmanned aircraft system optimized for Anti-Access/Aerial Denial (A2/AD) environments.

Blackwing employs an advanced, miniature electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payload, Selective Availability Anti-spoofing Module (SASSM) GPS and AeroVironment's secure Digital Data Link (DDL), all packaged into a vehicle that launches from manned and unmanned submarines, allowing it to share data with other members of AeroVironment's family of UASs. The company is also planning to adapt it for other types of payloads.The Blackwing has an endurance of about one hour and is launched from submarine's flare launchers. AeroVironment is now looking at adapting the system for using it from unmanned underwater vehicles.
     
AeroVironment, Inc. yersterday announced at Sea-Air-Space 2016 the United States Navy plans to deploy its "Blackwing," a small, tube-launched unmanned aircraft system that deploys from under the surface of the sea, on manned submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles.
The Blackwing UAS is fitted with EO/IR payload
     
AeroVironment developed the Blackwing system as part of a 2013 Navy and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) sponsored JCTD called Advanced Weapons Enhanced by Submarine UAS against Mobile targets (AWESUM). This JCTD was completed in September 2015 with a strong recommendation to transition the capability into the fleet.

"AeroVironment's new Blackwing unmanned aircraft system is a valuable new capability that resulted from our team's close collaboration with, and responsiveness to, the U.S. Navy's undersea warfare community and the Special Operations community," said Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment. "Delivering innovative solutions that enhance our customers' capabilities benefits the US Navy and USSOCOM, and creates new business opportunities for us. In addition to operating from undersea vehicles, Blackwing can also be integrated with and deployed from a wide variety of surface vessels and mobile ground vehicles to provide rapid response reconnaissance capabilities that help our customers operate more safely and effectively."