WARRENTON, Va., 12 May 2005. Athena Technologies, Inc. has been selected to provide the GuideStar integrated Flight Control and Navigation System to "Team GoldenEye," one of three industry teams tasked with developing a prototype ducted fan Organic Air Vehicle (OAV) for the U.S. Army's Future Force Unit of Action.
Team GoldenEye comprises Aurora Flight Sciences, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics Robotics Systems.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) three-phase OAV-II program calls for the development and test of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weighing less than 112 pounds that is able to carry reconnaissance, communications and other sensors. The UAV will enable diverse missions, including surveillance; path finding for friendly ground forces and manned and robotic vehicles; and targeting for non-line-of-sight fire operations.
"Athena Technologies has proven solutions available to the OAV-II program," said Dr. David Vos, CEO and founder of the company. "Our industry- leading, miniaturized and mission-proven GuideStar flight control system will make an exceptional contribution to Team GoldenEye, and help position the team to move forward with Phases II and III of the program."
Athena also participated in DARPA's previous OAV development program, which started in 2001. The company's GuideStar GS-111 flight control system was selected for that program and very successfully demonstrated stable autonomous operation of the OAV from hover to high-speed flight.
Athena Technologies is a premier developer and producer of integrated navigation and flight control systems. Founded in 1998, the company produces the GuideStar family of versatile, compact and cost-effective navigation, sensor suite and flight control systems for military applications. The company is an independent, privately held firm with headquarters in Warrenton, Va. For more information, see www.athenati.com.
