Naomi Cooper
BAE Systems has tested small unmanned aerial systems from Lockheed Martin‘s Skunk Works division on a variant of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle designed to support U.S. Marine Corps reconnaissance missions.
The Stalker and Indago platforms were part of verification tests aimed to demonstrate the ACV’s potential to carry out command, control, communication and computers/UAS missions, BAE said Thursday.
In April 2022, USMC tasked the British defense contractor’s U.S. arm to conduct a C4/UAS payload feasibility study.
The completion of the recent test will allow USMC personnel to begin evaluating the operational effectiveness of the new variant for the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle program.
Skunk Works’ Stalker falls under the Group 2 UAS classification and features a long-endurance imaging system, while Indago employs data collection and situational awareness technologies.
