Textron‘s electronic systems business has unveiled its new flight line tester for aircraft survivability sensors such as radar warning receivers and two-color infrared missile, UV missile and laser warning systems. The Integrated Tester for Aircraft Survivability Systems was designed to incorporate the functionality of Textron’s Model 527 RF Radar Signal Simulator and Multi-Spectral Test Set, the company […] More

The U.S. Air Force wants to test four aircraft platforms from Textron, Embraer and Leonardo-Finmeccanica in an effort to augment the service branch’s fleet of A-10 Warthogs, The Witchita Eagle reported Wednesday. Jerry Siebenmark writes the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office looks to conduct a 135-day test of Textron’s Scorpion jet and AT-6 Wolverine as […] More

Textron has announced it will offer an Overwatch Imaging-built precision survey sensor technology as part of the Aerosonde small unmanned aircraft system. Overwatch Imaging designed its TK-7 Firewatch multispectrum survey payload with color focal plane array and co-boresighted infrared sensors that Textron will integrate with the UAS’ onboard image processing system to facilitate precision mapping and aerial photography, Textron said Monday. […] More

A Textron subsidiary has deployed three types of weapon systems through its Scorpion jet as part of a weapons testing program that occurred Oct. 10-Oct. 14 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The company said Wednesday its Textron AirLand arm worked with Naval Sea Systems Command and the 586th Flight Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base to test Scorpion’s close air support function through […] More

Textron‘s unmanned systems business held an inaugural customer demonstration of a small unmanned aircraft system designed to combine vertical takeoff-and-landing capacity of a multirotor platform with the speed of the company’s Aerosonde fixed-wing aircraft offering. The company said Wednesday it demonstrated the Aerosonde HQ at the Textron Systems Unmanned Systems Service and Support Center as well as showcased the system’s transition […] More

AAR and Textron‘s systems business have partnered with Beechcraft Defense to bid on the U.S. Air Force‘s contract to provide support for the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System’s T-6 military training aircraft fleet. The companies seek to supply parts and warehouse services to the Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Army under the Contractor Operated and Maintained Base Supply contract, AAR […] More

Textron‘s subsidiary called Aerosonde has adopted the new name of Textron Systems Australia in a push to reflect the business unit’s broader service offering and efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. The company said Thursday Textron Systems Australia will specialize in all aspects of unmanned aviation such as ground control technologies, training and simulation systems, logistical, engineering and support services. “For the past 25 […] More

Textron Systems has received a five-year, $9.6 million contract from the U.S. Army to produce hardware and provide sustainment services for the military branch’s product director electronic attack universal test sets. The Defense Department said Monday the Army will obligate funds and provide the performance location upon award of each task order and expects contract work to complete on […] More

Textron‘s weapon and sensor systems business and Thales have launched a Fury guided glide weapon from a tactical unmanned aircraft system to engage static vehicle targets as part of a test at the U.S. Army‘s Yuma Proving Ground. The team released Fury from a Textron-built Shadow TUAS, after which the weapon performed a global positioning system guided fly-out maneuver, transitioned […] More

Textron Systems plans to implement an iBASEt-made software platform in an effort to  manage the company’s unmanned systems manufacturing processes at a factory in Hunt Valley, Maryland. iBASEt said Tuesday its Solumina software will work to help Textron Systems’ automate filing of bills of materials and engineering change orders as well as gain real-time visibility of shop floor production and quality processes. “We selected […] More

Textron has recorded more than 1 million flight hours for the Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft system since the company launched the aerial vehicle in 1999. The company said Tuesday Shadow became the only UAS of its size to accomplish the feat and that more than 85 percent of the drone’s flights occurred during combat operations. Shadow TUAS supports the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Special Operations Command […] More

A Textron subsidiary has been chosen by the Canadian government to provide a technology platform that will work to simulate electronic warfare threats. Canada picked the Advanced Architecture Phase Amplitude and Time Simulator  technology that Textron Systems Electronic Systems offered to the country’s New Electronic Warfare Threat Simulator program, Textron said Wednesday. The A2PATS comprises EW communications and electronic intelligence tools as well as employs an open architecture designed […] More