The media was trying to give the Navy a bad reputation earlier this week with the way the Navy is approaching UAVs compared to the Air Force, but ideas like this remind us the aviation arm in the Navy has their eye on the ball.
From todays list of DoD contracts:
Lite Machines Corp.*, West Lafayette, Ind., is being awarded a not-to-exceed $10,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for a Phase III Small Business Technology Transfer Program contract under Topic N04-T004, entitled “Sonobuoy Tube Launched UAV.” The contractor will provide services and materials for engineering tasks, including research and development, prototype and testing of their rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicle. Work will be performed in West Lafayette, Ind., and work is expected to be completed in Jun. 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $796,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using the STTR Program Solicitation under Topic N042-T004 and 41 offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J. is the contracting activity (N68335-08-D-0010).Basically the Voyeur UAV is a 3 lb UAV that can cruise for a half hour at 30 knots, or dash up to 60 knots. Navigation options include manual control or GPS/Moving map with a custom payload, C&C link, and digital video link up to 20nm line of sight. The battery is rechargeable, which sounds like upon recovery it can be reused. They are being designed as disposable UAVs for use from existing P-3 and the future P-8 aircraft.
Check out the Lite Machines website for more information.
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