AeroVironment: Navy deploying underwater-launched UAS

WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- A small unmanned aerial system that is launched beneath the sea by submarines and underwater vehicles is to be deployed by the U.S. Navy.

The tube-launched system by AeroVironment is called Blackwing and builds on AeroVironment's operational experience with small unmanned aircraft systems.

Among those systems is Switchblade, a lethal miniature aerial missile system that provides the Navy with a submarine-launched unmanned aircraft system optimized for Anti-Access/Aerial Denial environments.

Blackwing features an advanced, miniature electro-optical and infrared payload, a selective availability anti-spoofing module GPS and AeroVironment's secure digital data link.

"AeroVironment's new Blackwing unmanned aircraft system is a valuable new capability that resulted from our team's close collaboration with, and responsiveness to, the U.S. Navy's undersea warfare community and the Special Operations community," said Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment. "Delivering innovative solutions that enhance our customers' capabilities benefits the U.S. Navy and USSOCOM, and creates new business opportunities for us.

"In addition to operating from undersea vehicles, Blackwing can also be integrated with and deployed from a wide variety of surface vessels and mobile ground vehicles to provide rapid response reconnaissance capabilities that help our customers operate more safely and effectively."