Anduril UK and GKN Aerospace collaborate on British Army ACP bid
The pair will submit their demonstrator concept for Project Nyx, a development project for the British Army’s Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform.
An EC-37B Compass Call arrives at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona on 17 August 2022. Compass Call suppresses air defences by preventing the transmission of essential information between adversaries, their weapon systems and control networks. (Photo: USAF/Airman 1st Class Vaughn Weber)
The first upgraded Baseline 3 Compass Call airborne standoff EW jamming system aboard USAF EC-37B aircraft will include ‘key components’ from BAE Systems, the company announced on 21 September.
BAE Systems stated that it has delivered final Baseline 3 hardware in preparation for initial flight tests in January 2023.
Baseline 3 offers additional EW capabilities and BAE Systems expects it to be fielded on an interim basis from mid-2024 while work continues on the Baseline 4 configuration.
The EC-37B is a new platform for Compass Call, as BAE Systems has provided the system for USAF EC-130H aircraft since 1981.
The EC-37B is based on the Gulfstream G550 commercial business jet. The EC-37B programme began in FY2017 with an estimated procurement cost of $1.45 billion for ten aircraft, according to Shephard Defence Insight.
There are 13 EC-130H aircraft in USAF service with an expected retirement date of 2025.
The pair will submit their demonstrator concept for Project Nyx, a development project for the British Army’s Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform.
The Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit is designed to overcome the issue of unique integration methods between lethal payloads and drones as well as avoiding problematic acquisition conditions created by vendor lock.
The investment includes new contracts for six MQ-28A Ghost Bat aircraft, as well as provisional funds to invest in the development of a Block 3 prototype.
Italy could field the JASSM-ER for its combat aircraft including the F-35, while Denmark has been approved for AMRAAM and an Integrated Battle Command system procurement.
The newly unveiled collaborative combat aircraft looks to strike a balance between capability and cost-effectiveness, according to the company.
Following the completion of successful ground tests, one more exercise remains before flight testing can begin.