US Army awards MAG Aerospace and L3Harris contract for enhanced ISR aircraft
MAG Aerospace and L3Harris will use Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft for ATHENA-R. (Photo: L3Harris)
The US Army has selected MAG Aerospace and L3Harris to deliver two enhanced ISR aircraft for the Army’s Theater-Level, High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne ISR-Radar (ATHENA-R) programme, providing high-altitude intelligence capabilities to meet global requirements.
Integrated on Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft, the system will help the army meet global intelligence requirements. Operating at high altitude will provide the aircraft greater survivability and LoS, both essential to help the army achieve its long-range precision fires modernisation priorities.
Designed to close the gap between the army’s medium- and high-altitude ISR aircraft fleet, the ATHENA-R programme will provide greater endurance, more payload capacity, longer stand-off ranges and leading-edge sensor technology in support of US combatant commands.
The US Army announced during the AUSA exhibition in October 2022 in Washington DC that it would launch a tender for ATHENA-R, with aircraft to be supplied on a contractor-owned, contractor-operated basis.
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AUSA 2022: MAG Aerospace and L3Harris propose converted commercial bizjet for US Army airborne ISR
MAG Aerospace is currently the prime contractor for the army’s Sensor Technology Operations and Readiness (STORM) contract.
Besides winning a contract in September 2022 to develop Phase 2 of the army’s Multi-Domain Sensing System program, L3Harris supports an additional army ISR mission: the Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (ARES) aircraft.
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