Wyle to enhance Army aerial platforms

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Army unmanned and fixed-wing aircraft programs are to receive support from Wyle, an engineering company, for increased availability at lower cost.

The platforms covered under the three-year task order include Gray Eagle, Sky Warrior, Hunter, Shadow, Hawker Beechcraft, Cessna, Gulfstream, Viking Air, de Havilland and all small unmanned aircraft systems.

The task order, worth $18.5 million, was issued by the Reliability Information Analysis Center and supports the Army's Project Manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Project Manager, Fixed Wing. Both are based in Huntsville, Ala.

Wyle said the fielded unmanned aircraft systems covered under the contract and the manufacturing equipment used to support them are aging faster than originally expected because of high use in Afghanistan and Iraq. The company will provide engineering, analysis and testing programs to identify methods increasing their reliability and for improving the systems.

"Wyle will support the development of reliability improvement processes and successful implementation of these processes to enhance readiness while reducing life-cycle costs for the two programs," the company said. "Wyle will use reliability, maintainability, quality, supportability and interoperability best practices."