The U.S. Air Force has awarded a BAE Systems-Raytheon team a $12.9 million contract to develop an advanced network-centric mission planning capability for its U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.
The contract also directs the team to develop common software that can be used to plan intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions for several lines of manned and unmanned aircraft. Besides the U-2, these aircraft include the RC-135, E-3, E-8, E-10, Global Hawk and Predator.
"The BAE Systems-Raytheon team brings together Raytheon's proven U-2 sensor planning and BAE Systems' air vehicle and ISR mission planning expertise to provide pilots with a low-risk, low-cost, best-of-breed mission planning system," said Ted Spilman, BAE Systems' vice president for Defense Systems.
"This approach ensures our customers will have an easy-to-use, network-centric, mission planning capability that works not only for the U-2 but for other ISR platforms as well."
Tom Kennedy, vice president for Raytheon's Integrated Airborne Systems business, cited the common technological strengths of the two organizations in ISR.
"BAE Systems and Raytheon are joining forces to offer the best technology to meet Air Force requirements, backed up by the extensive experience of both companies in developing cutting-edge ISR solutions," he said.
"We've worked effectively together on the Joint Mission Planning System and the Distributed Common Ground System, as well as in ISR, and we expect to put this background and our technical expertise to good use in producing an outstanding next-generation mission-planning system for the U-2."
