Textron Systems Awarded Contract for Second U.S. Navy Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) Shipboard Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operation
Textron Systems Awarded Contract for Second U.S. Navy Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) Shipboard Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operation
Aerosonde® UAS Supporting Fourth U.S. Navy Ship with Extended Range ISR Services
HUNT VALLEY, MD/October 20, 2022 – Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today that it has been awarded a contract valued at up to $22 million by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to provide UAS operational support to the USS Miguel Keith, designated ESB-5. The contract begins in FY23 and has a total potential performance period of five years. This award builds on the four-year extension of USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB-4) earlier this year and joins two DDG-class ships, bringing the total number of U.S. Navy ships supported by the Aerosonde® UAS system to four.
Under this contract, Textron Systems will deploy its Aerosonde UAS to provide extended range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services with enhanced mission payloads aboard the ESB-5. The company’s Field Service Representatives (FSR) will work alongside the sailors onboard to provide support for a variety of maritime missions.
“There are numerous vessels of opportunity with the Navy that can benefit from consistent multi-INT ISR,” said Wayne Prender, Senior Vice President, Air Systems. “Through this fee-for-service contract, the Navy can continue to mature future shipboard ISR requirements while supporting existing real-world missions. We are already seeing the benefits for DDG and ESB- class ships, and we continue to optimize our services to deliver the unique operational and logistical capabilities our customers demand in order to accomplish their mission and keep our sailors safe.”
The Aerosonde system has amassed more than 585,000 flight hours while serving multiple U.S. and international allies. It is designed for expeditionary land- and sea-based operations in austere environments and is equipped for multiple payload configurations. For more than 10 years, Textron Systems has provided turnkey, fee-for-service operations, providing hands-on operational support for customers around the world.
NAVAIR Public Release 2022-644. Distribution Statement A – “Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited”
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About Textron Systems
Textron Systems is a world leader in unmanned air, surface and land products, services and support founded on the combined expertise in our family of brands that includes Textron Systems, Howe & Howe, Lycoming, and ATAC. We harness the unlimited power of teamwork to solve incredible problems across seven specialized domains: air, land, sea, propulsion, weapon systems, electronic systems and test, training & simulation. From product development and manufacturing to training, operations and support, we integrate and offer ingenious and advanced solutions to support defense, aerospace, and other customer missions. For more information, visit www.textronsystems.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, risks related to US Government contracts as set forth in our SEC filings.
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