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Lockheed Embarks on New Surveillance Aircraft R&D Program

Lockheed Embarks on New Surveillance Aircraft R&D Program - top government contractors - best government contracting event
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Lockheed Martin BlueLockheed Martin‘s Skunk Works unit is developing a high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft that would look as an upgraded version of the company’s U-2 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance platform, Flightglobal reported Monday.

James Drew writes Skunk Works envisions the future RQ-X/UQ-2 having an unmanned and a manned operational mode, an F118 engine and multiple sensors.

“Think of a low-observable U-2,” Scott Winstead, Lockheed’s U-2 strategic development manager, was quoted as saying.

“It’s pretty much where the U-2 is today, but add a low-observable body and more endurance.”

The U.S. Air Force, which owns a fleet of U-2 planes, has not formalized any plans for a HALE system research and development program, the report said.

Lockheed had proposed making the ISR aircraft unmanned but the proposal did not gain traction at the military service.

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Written by Mary-Louise Hoffman

is a writer of news summaries about executive-level business activity in the government contracting sector. Her reports for ExecutiveBiz are focused on trends and events that drive the GovCon industry to include commercial technologies that private companies are developing for federal government use. She contributes news content to ExecutiveBiz’s sister sites GovCon Wire and ExecutiveGov.

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