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General Atomics to upgrade radar on Reaper drones

By Stephen Feller
Aircrews perform a preflight check on an MQ-9 Reaper before it takes of for a mission in Afghanistan in 2015. Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force
Aircrews perform a preflight check on an MQ-9 Reaper before it takes of for a mission in Afghanistan in 2015. Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force

June 15 (UPI) -- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has been awarded a contract by the Air Force for upgrades to radars on the MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft, the Pentagon announced this week.

The contract, announced Thursday by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and worth more than $22 million, comes under a firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract for production on the MQ-9 Reaper.

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Specifically, General Atomics will produce the upgraded Lynx Block 20A synthetic aperture radar for installation on the MQ-9 Block 5 version of the drone.

Work on the contract will be done in Poway, Calif., and is expected to be finished by June 31, 2020.

General Atomics has been obligated the full value of the contract at the time of award from fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement funds.

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