2020 Year in Review: Highlights from Across Textron Systems
2020 was a year full of successes for Textron Systems.
Check back in with us over the next few weeks as we highlight wins from across our family of brands to celebrate the hard work and dedication our teammates demonstrated to achieve such a successful year.
Air Systems
In 2020, our Aerosonde® Small Unmanned Aircraft System family of products achieved 500,000+ hours in combat-proven flight. As a leader in the Group II UAS space for both land- and sea-based operations, the system's maturity and multi-mission capability make it a strong asset to our customers. Our team is 
additionally maintaining strong support to the U.S. Army customer with an award for 36 new Shadow® aircrafts in the latest Block III configuration. With 1.2 million flight hours and counting, the Shadow system's track record continues to be our customers' eye in the sky.
ATAC
ATAC continues to provide our customers with the training they need to complete their missions. After capturing the U.S. Navy’s Fighter Jet Services (FJS) award, the team will maintain tactical flight services to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. ATAC was also awarded three task orders under the 
U.S. Air Force’s Combat Air Force (CAF) Contracted Air Support (CAS) program; ATAC has stood up operations at all three operating locations and has begun flying successful sorties in support of the program.
Howe & Howe
Our Howe & Howe team celebrated an exciting product milestone this year with its first domestic sale and delivery of its robotic firefighter, the Thermite™ RS3, to the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD). This marks the first commercial sale of a robotic firefighting vehicle in the United States. 
The Thermite RS3 keeps responders a safer distance from danger, using the RS3 as an extension of their own senses. The RS3's hose attachment also enables users to spray large areas with disinfectant efficiently.
Sea Systems
Our sea-based products achieved many milestones in 2020 in support of the U.S. Navy, culminating in the successful fly-away of Craft 100 and Craft 101 to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla. 
We were also awarded with the SSC follow-on contract. Additionally, our CUSV® was the U.S. Navy's first unmanned surface vehicle (USV) program of record to achieve Milestone C.
Electronic Systems
Our Imagery and Data Analysis team celebrated the launch and completion of their first sale of Optice™- our newest real-time visualization and exploitation software built to enhance interactions with Full Motion Video (FMV) and other data sources. 
We're also proud that our A2PATS® Electronic Warfare (EW) simulators also made a splash in 2020 after being chosen for 5th generation platforms to develop and test EW, Communications, Electro-Optical/Infra-Red and Radar Systems, simulating real-world environments during testing.
Weapons Systems
Our team gave an exclusive first look of our Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) system to the Tactical Rifleman team. With increased performance, leading ergonomics, and lighter system weight, Textron Systems' NGSW is ready for the future fight. 
We are additionally proud to be supporting Northrop Grumman on the U.S. Air Force's Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program with our experience in strategic systems and re-entry technology.
Corporate Social Responsibility
In 2020, the criticality of supporting our local communities was highlighted. In response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis, our employees have stepped up; whether it was monetary donations to COVID-19 relief funds, volunteering time to make PPE, or raising funds for local food banks and shelters, our team was ready to help. 
In addition to supporting our local communities, we are passionate about supporting our nation's veterans. Employees came together to support events and fundraisers that benefit organizations like Wreaths Across America and the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training. Additionally, multiple donations were made to sponsor scholarships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Land Systems
Team RIPSAW celebrated an award from the U.S. Army for its RIPSAW® M5 platform to produce four more vehicles. We're also proud to have teamed up with American Rheinmetall Vehicles to support the U.S. Army's Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program. 
By joining Team Lynx, we're providing U.S.-based manufacturing to help redefine the modern battlefield and support our customer.