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AUSA Aviation 2011: VTOL UAS requirement still controversial

13th January 2011 - 20:58 GMT | by Darren Lake in Washington, DC

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After an announcement last week by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that the army would again be pursuing a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS capability, the US Army leadership at AUSA Aviation was left scrambling to give further definition to the requirement.

The US Army's main VTOL UAS effort was abandoned when the army decided to cancel the Class IV UAS that was part of the doomed Future Combat Systems (FCS) project. It also decided not to participate in a joint effort with the US Marine Corps to examine a potential for cargo UAS.

However, Gates' announcement has

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Author

Darren Lake

Darren has more than two decades of experience in aerospace and defence journalism. After completing …

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