in ,

Northrop, Shield AI Team to Prototype Future VTOL Drone for Army

Northrop, Shield AI Team to Prototype Future VTOL Drone for Army - top government contractors - best government contracting event

A partnership between Northrop Grumman and Shield AI has secured a rapid prototyping other transaction agreement from the U.S. Army to build a prototype of an unmanned aircraft system designed for vertical take-off and landing.

Northrop said Tuesday it has teamed up with the artificial intelligence-powered aircraft manufacturer to develop an open-architecture version of the V-BAT drone for Increment 2 of the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System program.

The enhanced V-BAT platform will carry interchangeable payloads, including electro-optical/infra-red imagers, synthetic aperture radar and electronic warfare systems.

“Our team’s enhanced V-BAT embodies more than 30 years of experience designing, delivering and sustaining advanced unmanned aircraft systems, combined with a field-proven platform and production facilities,” said Angela Johns, vice president of autonomous and tactical air systems at Northrop.

The company is among the five companies awarded contracts ranging from $1 million to $25 million to participate in five FTUAS development phases through 2025.

The resulting platform will replace the RQ-7B Shadow tactical UAS that supports reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition missions.

ExecutiveBiz Logo

Sign Up Now! ExecutiveBiz provides you with Daily Updates and News Briefings about Contract Awards

mm

Written by Naomi Cooper

is a full-time writer for ArchIntel, a division of Executive Mosaic, and a contributor for ExecutiveBiz. She covers emerging technologies, technology innovation, contract awards, partnerships and market expansion stories in the government contracting industry.

Cambridge Consultants' John Taibi on Future-Proofing Government IT Systems Against Quantum Attacks - top government contractors - best government contracting event
Cambridge Consultants’ John Taibi on Future-Proofing Government IT Systems Against Quantum Attacks
Fairbanks Morse Defense Unveils Accelerator Program for Maritime Defense Tech; George Whittier Quoted - top government contractors - best government contracting event
Fairbanks Morse Defense Unveils Accelerator Program for Maritime Defense Tech; George Whittier Quoted