PAE ISR, LLC of Sterling, VA announced on October 16 that it had signed a cooperative agreement with NASA to conduct a demonstration in the National Airspace System in 2020 and work toward full integration of unmanned aerial systems into the NAS.
“NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization Demo program is a great opportunity to validate integration of larger UAS in the NAS,” said Beth Beach, vice president of business development. “We will work with NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration to identify and resolve UAS Type Certification challenges and develop a concept of operations for pipeline inspection using the Resolute Eagle platform and American Aerospace Technologies, Inc.’s InstiMaps™ payload within the Pendleton UAS Range airspace.”
“The Resolute Eagle, is a Group III fixed wing tactical UAS,” said Jake Jacobs, PAE ISR chief technology officer and principal investigator for the NASA program. “PAE ISR will work with key technology providers to integrate cooperative and non-cooperative detect and avoid technologies into the RE. Our engineering team will conduct a trade study in parallel of radar, acoustic, and optical DAA technologies for trade-offs in size, weight, and power (a.k.a. as SWAP) and performance against FAA DAA standards. Key technology partners include Analytics Graphics Inc., Fortem Technologies, Lincoln Labs, Pathfinder Systems, Sagetech, and Scientific Applications & Research Associates.”
The Resolute Eagle platform has the range and endurance to provide line of sight, beyond visual line of sight, and satellite communications-based beyond line of sight operating capabilities, enabling it to support a wide range of military, law enforcement, homeland security, humanitarian, and commercial missions.
The single, reconfigurable aircraft comes in two configurations—standard and vertical take-off and landing—with a flight endurance of 12 to 18+ hours depending on configuration. It is runway independent and offers the VTOL configuration for deployment and recovery in challenging conditions, including maritime operations. The aircraft also features a large payload capacity of 75+ lbs (34.0 kg), very low acoustic signature at mission altitudes, small logistical footprint, and significant power onboard for multi-intelligence payload integration.
Source: PAE ISR
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