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AUVSI: AAI upbeat about UAS future
The nature of the challenges facing the UAS industry are changing according to Steve Reid, Textron AAI Vice President of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. However, he also believes that the industry has a vibrant future as it continues to evolve to meet these challenges.
'A few years ago the industry was all about getting a viable platform developed that would fly reliably,' Reid told Unmanned Vehicles. 'But now the challenge is about interoperability and disseminating the information collected to the right users,' he added.
AAI sees itself at the forefront of that change as it continues to develop both its air platforms and the systems that enable them. 'The industry continues to be ripe for innovation,' Reid asserted. 'We need to reach out in a broader way, look at the network on the battlefield,' he stated.
That can be difficult for an industry that has yet to fully define standards and where those standards that are in place tend to be defacto market positions rather than fully developed international standards. Reid likens it to the Betamax vs VHS moment when the superior technology was beaten out by the more prevalent one.
'But the customer does not want to be beholden to anyone's intellectual property,' Reid asserted. However, he added that it was easy for customers to say that, but still hard to define. This is especially true given the large number of players that are involved in setting UAS standards, including civil aviation authorities.
For Reid much of it is about making sure the solution is right rather than focusing too closely on the technology. 'That was our vision early on. What kind of mission can we support and then what kind of technologies do we need?'
For AAI, the core capabilities of its Shadow and Aerosonde UASs continue to expand. The Shadow 200 in particular continues to develop and has also secured international success in recent months.
The company is keen to seek full advantage from that success. The tactical common data link is currently being rolled out across the US Army's Shadow fleet and the extended wing will give the aircraft extended range and payload capability. 'We're also in discussions with the army about waeponisation,' stated Reid.
On the Aerosonde front, Reid added that the company had been disappointed by the outcome of the US Navy's Small Tactical UAS programme. However, he stated that he believed there was a market for the UAS in the fee for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance market.
By Darren Lake, Denver
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