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Athena Techs Guidance Nav and GPS Solution Used In Warrior UAV
Warrenton VA (SPX) Mar 15, 2006 Athena Technologies' GuideStar GS-211 HG, a compact, integrated inertial navigation system, global positioning system (INS/GPS) and air data sensor suite, will provide dual back-up navigation capabilities for the new US Army Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAV. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' (GA-ASI's) Warrior is the next generation high-performance UAV, derived from the combat-proven Predator unmanned aircraft system. Flying up to 29,000 feet, the Warrior will provide long-endurance surveillance, communications relay, and weapons delivery missions, with more than double the weapons capacity of Predator. Athena's proven GuideStar, with 60,000+ cumulative flight hours in Operation Iraqi Freedom, will provide back-up guidance and navigation for Warrior, including periods of GPS denial. Athena's GuideStar was selected after GA-ASI was awarded a $214 million contract for the U.S. Army's Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) program. This is the first phase of a multi-billion dollar, multi-year contract for the Army's ER/MP UAV program. "Athena is very pleased to provide our products and expertise to Team Warrior," said Dr. David Vos, Athena CEO. "To be working with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - the maker of the famous Predator - is an honor, and we know we will be contributing to the development of one of the most important and innovative UAV programs for global security," he explained. "We are pleased to be integrating Athena's GuideStar INS/GPS system into our Warrior UAV," said Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., President, Aircraft Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. "We are confident in Athena's ability to provide a proven navigation sensor as demonstrated by its current combat performance."
GuideStar 211HG The GS-211HG is a member of Athena's GuideStar product line of highly sophisticated, compact and affordable INS/GPS and air data, integrated sensor solutions for UAV applications, with optional flight control module. GS-211HG-7 features used on Warrior include: - A tactical grade Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU) - A Trimble Force-22 differential ready SAASM GPS receiver - Built-in tri-axial magnetometer with automatic hard iron compensation - Built-in air data system pressure transducers including static, airspeed and flow angle measurements - Kalman filter INS providing high accuracy navigation and control state vector - Electrical and mechanical design, and manufacturing process that meets military environmental requirements, including temperature, shock, vibration, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and humidity - Software module providing Athena's full suite of advanced and flight-proven inertial reference and navigation functions Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Athena Technology General Atomics Aeronautical Systems UAV News - Suppliers and Technology
AeroVironments Raven Achieves Production Operational Milestones
Monrovia CA (SPX) Mar 16, 2006AeroVironment achieved a significant milestone recently in its production of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (SUAV) systems. The Raven (RQ-11A), a manpackable SUAV used by the U.S. Army and Special Forces in the Global War on Terrorism since 2002, surpassed the 3,000th air vehicle mark for production. |
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