Textron Systems announced that it has been notified of a successful down select in the competition for the U.S. Army’s Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) Increment-2 Program. The company is offering its Aerosonde Hybrid Quad (HQ) in support of the FTUAS program.

Built to support the key requirements of the Army’s Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs), the agile Aerosonde HQ platform offers multi-mission capability with proven reliability built upon a system with over 600,000 flight hours of performance. The size, weight and power profile of the system offers the mission performance of larger airframes with a rigorously streamlined footprint, two-person transport and a short setup time for superior tactical advantage. The aircraft is equipped to deliver day/night full-motion video, wide area surveillance, communications relay, signals intelligence and more.

“We look forward to demonstrating why we believe the Aerosonde HQ is the right unmanned system to carry the Army forward into the future,” said Wayne Prender, Senior Vice President of Air Systems. “In its 4.8 configuration tailored for the Army BCT’s mission, our system distinguishes itself with its use of heavy fuel to simplify logistics and its efficient transportability whether by helicopters or tactical vehicle. We have designed Aerosonde to MOSA [Modular Open Systems Approach] standards. With an open approach, there’s a proven ability to rapidly inject capabilities, behaviors and payloads developed by industry, government and academic partners. With our long history of working alongside the BCTs, we’re prepared to deliver a fully integrated platform loaded with the next generation of capabilities.”

Preparing for the BCT requirements of tomorrow, Textron Systems continues to invest in integrating and demonstrating additional payloads and equipment onto its Aerosonde HQ system to optimize the Army’s low-risk path to future capabilities.