Boeing Team Demonstrates Multimodal Unmanned Systems Operations

18th December 2009 - 07:10 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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Boeing today announced that it has completed a demonstration for the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) at Fort Bragg, N.C., that integrated both air and ground unmanned systems to perform psychological operations (PSYOP) wartime missions for combatant commands.

The USASOC and a Boeing-led contractor team conducted the demonstration in November, using the Schiebel S-100 Unmanned Aerial System and the John Deere R-Gator Unmanned Ground Vehicle to demonstrate an electro-optical/infrared, audio, and leaflet drop mission.

"Working with USASOC, we were able to pull together a team to demonstrate this integrated, multimodal operation in just 45 days," said Vic Sweberg, director of Boeing Unmanned Airborne Systems. "We brought together hardware and software from five different contractors into a single multimodal system that allowed the control of different unmanned systems capabilities to accomplish a particular mission."

"This is an example of how Boeing unmanned operational services and contractor logistics support capabilities can support USASOC warfighters today," said Greg Deiter, vice president of Boeing Defense & Government Services. "We are working together with USASOC to support its need for quick-insertion capabilities in the multimodal unmanned operations world."

The Boeing Unmanned Airborne Systems division includes the A160T Hummingbird, ScanEagle, SolarEagle, and MQ-X. Boeing also has teams deployed with US Navy ships and ground forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting US Air Force, Marine Corps, Army, and Special Operations Command operations in a variety of roles and services.