American submariners will soon receive an air assistant. Today, March 12, the portal thedrive.com He reported that the US Navy is purchasing a large batch of Blackwing drones for its submarines.
The US Navy's Maritime Systems Command has announced a contract for 120 Blackwing 10C UAVs manufactured by AeroVironment. Deliveries should begin in August and last until 2023.
Blackwing drone promo video
The Blackwing 10C drone was developed as part of the Tactical Temporary Installations (TEMPALT) project of the larger SLUAS program. It is known that the first launches of drones from American submarines were carried out in 2013. The launch uses a 3-inch signal system (SSE) launcher mounted on submarines.
The US Navy announced a tender for the supply of drones for submarines in 2018. At the same time, the contract announcement indicates that AeroVironment was the only American company able to provide the required equipment within the specified time frame.
It is known that the Blackwing is built on the basis of the Switchblade barrage munition. At the same time, the US Navy declares only intelligence and relay functions for this device.
Switchblade Barrage Munition
Image source: flightglobal.com
