Boeing in St. Louis and partner Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), functioning as the Lead Systems Integrator for the U.S. Army’s Future Combat System (FCS) program, awarded a contract to Honeywell Defense & Space Electronic Systems to develop the Class I Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System (UAVS). The Class I UAVS, a platoon-level asset and the smallest of four FCS unmanned aerial vehicle classes, will provide dismounted soldiers with reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition capabilities on the battlefield.

“We have evaluated Honeywell’s engineering design approach and success in the area of micro air vehicle technology, and we are confident that their design solution for the FCS Class I UAVS is a superior fit that will meet both current and future warfighter requirements,” says Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing vice president, general manager, and FCS program manager.

The FCS program will leverage Honeywell’s work on the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), a prototype vehicle developed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration. Recently used by the Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii for soldier testing and experimentation, the MAV has successfully demonstrated ducted fan technology, a key to meeting FCS Class I UAV requirements for a small, back-packable UAV that provides “hover and stare” capability.

In addition to the MAV activity with DARPA, Honeywell has been working under an FCS systems engineering contract, including gap analysis and early risk mitigation, to ensure MAV technology will meet the full set of FCS Class I requirements. The team recently completed a system functional review verifying that the technology is on track and, following an update to the design to meet all FCS requirements, will be ready to be integrated into the FCS networked system of systems to provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition capability.

Class I is one of four UAV systems organic to platoon, company, battalion and brigade echelons that form the aerial component of the FCS networked system of systems, providing protection and information to soldiers on the ground. Weighing about 35 pounds, each system includes two air vehicles, a control unit and ancillary equipment. The Class I UAVS can operate in complex urban and jungle terrains with vertical takeoff and landing capability, and can be operated autonomously or controlled by dismounted soldiers. First prototype deliveries and flight tests are scheduled for December 2008.