Kacey Roberts
The U.S. Navy has employed an expeditionary sea base vessel to host a Textron subsidiary-developed unmanned aircraft system that supports a broad range of military and aviation operations.
Textron Systems said Wednesday the Aerosonde UAS took its first operational flight aboard the ESB 5-designated USS Miguel Keith to provide extended-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance services with enhanced mission payload capabilities.
The activity follows a $22 million contract award that the company secured in October 2022 to help the Naval Air Systems Command handle the UAS operations on ESB 5.
“Having an unmanned aircraft system operational aboard the ship acting as a remote sensor contributes to overall maritime domain awareness and mission success,” noted Wayne Prender, senior vice president of air systems at Textron.
Aerosonde, which supports three other Navy ships, has different payload configurations and is intended for expeditionary land- and sea-based missions in harsh conditions.
