On April 15, SNC announced that contractor testing and government end-to-end testing for its RAPCON-X aircraft have been successfully completed as part of the U.S. Army’s Theater-Level High Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne (ATHENA) project. Both SNC aircraft are now operational for contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) service in support of U.S. Army airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (A-ISR) operations.
The milestone confirms the aircraft’s design, mission systems integration and operational performance, marking the transition from development and testing to operational service in support of Army mission requirements.
“SNC’s early investment in ATHENA enables accelerated delivery of timely, actionable intelligence to commanders,” said Andrew Evans, director of strategy and transformation within the Army G-2. “Delivering advanced A-ISR capabilities into the hands of warfighters strengthens the Army’s ability to sense, understand and respond across contested environments, preserving decision advantage for the force.”
Built on the Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft and powered by SNC’s RAPCON-X open architecture, the ATHENA platform delivers high-altitude, long-endurance sensing capabilities designed to provide commanders with enhanced situational awareness and faster decision making in complex operating environments.
“Completing testing and beginning ATHENA service represents a significant milestone for our Army customer,” said Josh Walsh, vice president of programs at SNC. “This achievement reflects the extraordinary work of our engineers, operators and maintainers who delivered an integrated aircraft and mission system ready to perform in demanding operational environments. ATHENA now provides the Army with a proven high-altitude ISR capability that strengthens its ability to sense, understand and act across the battlespace.”
ATHENA integrates SNC’s advanced mission system capabilities, including AI/ML-enabled processing, exploitation and dissemination tools, enabling faster intelligence delivery and improved multi-domain awareness.
“ATHENA demonstrates the strength of SNC’s integration expertise and our ability to rapidly deliver operational capability to the warfighter,” said Tim Owings, executive vice president at SNC. “By leveraging proven commercial platforms and integrating advanced mission systems, we are accelerating the fielding of critical ISR capabilities while informing the future architecture of the Army’s deep-sensing fleet.”
Operational experience from ATHENA aircraft also supports the Army’s High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, helping inform the development of next-generation deep-sensing capabilities designed to provide persistent intelligence advantage in future conflicts.
Source: SNC
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