Reuters
• Mike Stone
Boeing drone subsidiary Insitu and aviation connectivity provider Gogo have successfully tested a military drone using satellite communications. The demonstration highlights efforts by governments and defense companies to develop alternatives to Starlink for resilient, diversified unmanned-aircraft connectivity.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Boeing drone subsidiary Insitu and aviation connectivity provider Gogo have successfully tested a military drone using satellite communications. The demonstration highlights efforts by governments and defense companies to develop alternatives to Starlink for resilient, diversified unmanned-aircraft connectivity.
Textron Aviation has rolled out its 500th Citation Latitude midsize business jet from its Wichita facilities, a decade after the aircraft entered service in 2015. Separately, Textron highlighted an Aerosonde VTOL uncrewed flight conducted through Virginia vertiports, underscoring activity across its civil and unmanned aviation portfolio.
Boeing Defence Australia selected Lite Coms to supply tactical satellite terminals for the Australian Defence Force’s beyond-line-of-sight communications program, while Boeing subsidiary Insitu completed testing of a modified Gogo Galileo HDX terminal integrated onto its Group 3 Integrator uncrewed aircraft.
A think tank is advocating specialized, missile-carrying collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to protect airborne support assets from China’s growing long-range air-to-air missile capability. The concept would use uncrewed aircraft as escorts to counter threats against tankers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, and other high-value enablers.
Helicopter operator Bristow has reserved 15 early-delivery Chaparral hybrid-electric cargo drones, tripling its initial reservation commitment. The move provides an early commercial signal for cargo-drone demand and positions Bristow to expand beyond conventional rotorcraft operations as the aircraft becomes available.
High activity
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has delivered an FQ-42A Vengeance to Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, where the aircraft will continue regular test and evaluation operations. The handover marks the latest step in advancing the platform’s operational assessment with the U.S. Air Force.
Bristow Group has reserved 10 additional early delivery positions for Elroy Air’s Chaparral autonomous cargo aircraft, bringing its total reservation to 15. The expanded commitment strengthens Bristow’s planned role in deploying uncrewed electric cargo aircraft for logistics operations as Elroy advances the Chaparral program.
Tekever will supply the British Army with an initial batch of six AR5 uncrewed air vehicles under a five-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence, establishing a dedicated procurement and support relationship for the company’s UAV platform.
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