First two EMD EMARSS aircraft arrive for testing
The Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) aircraft being built by Boeing under an Engineering, Manufacturing and Development contract with the US Army are set to begin government testing. Two of the aircraft have been delivered to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for airborne tests of their target-tracking capabilities.
The EMARSS aircraft are being designed to provide the US military with the ability to detect, locate, identify and track surface targets, day or night, in almost any weather conditions. The extensively modified Beechcraft King Air 350 ER aircraft will provide soldiers with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as well as communications and targeting.
The aircraft will undergo mission systems calibration and testing to certify them prior to delivery.
Mark Stephenson, EMARSS program manager for Boeing, said: ‘It’s gratifying to see this innovative programme reach the next stage of development, one step closer to delivering to our customer. The flights to Aberdeen from Kansas were an achievement themselves, and they paved the way for airborne evaluation and testing against a range of targets.’
Boeing’s EMD contract with the US Army calls for four development aircraft as well as logistics services.
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