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Navy contracts Raytheon for LOCUST prototype

By Brooke Baitinger
Raytheon's Coyote unmanned aerial vehicle has been adopted by the Navy for use in the LOCUST program. Photo courtesy of Raytheon
Raytheon's Coyote unmanned aerial vehicle has been adopted by the Navy for use in the LOCUST program. Photo courtesy of Raytheon

June 27 (UPI) -- Raytheon Co. has been awarded a contract to produce a Low Cost UAV Swarming Technology, or LOCUST, Innovative Naval Prototype.

The deal, announced by the Navy Tuesday, comes under a $29 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the LOCUST Innovative Naval Prototype.

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Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 25, 2020.

LOCUST can launch swarming UAVs to overwhelm an adversary autonomously and have been in development and testing phases for several years.

Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds amounting to $7.1 million have been obligated to Raytheon upon award of the contract.

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