Wilmington, MA - July 19, 2004 - HR Textron (Santa Clarita, Calif), an operating unit of Textron Systems, was a major contributor in the first-ever test of a weapon system delivered from an unmanned aircraft. In March 2004, a Boeing X-45A unmanned combat aircraft successfully deployed a 250-pound Small Smart Bomb at NASA Dryden's Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California. HR Textron, a manufacturer of electro mechanical actuation and missile control systems, provides all the flight controls on this first all-electric aircraft, as well as the tail actuation system for the Small Smart Bomb.
"HR Textron is proud to be a crucial supplier to Boeing for both the X-45A and Small Smart Bomb involved in this landmark test," states Tom Harrington, vice president of air-launched weapons at Textron Systems. "Our Electro Mechanical Actuation (EMA) expertise has been well proven in products like the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the AIM-9X Sidewinder Missile. We are excited to be bringing this capability to a revolutionary force enabler such as the X-45 J-UCAS, and to the highly precise Small Diameter Bomb."
The Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) X-45 program is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Air Force/U.S. Navy/Boeing effort to demonstrate the technical feasibility, military utility, and operational value of an unmanned air combat system for both the Air Force and the Navy.
Boeing's X-45A technology demonstrator successfully released the weapon from its internal weapons bay at 35,000 feet and 0.67 Mach over the Precision Impact Range Area in the Southern California desert. The test demonstrates that an autonomous unmanned combat aircraft can respond to human direction, and successfully release a weapon from an internal bay.
About Textron Systems
www.systems.textron.com
Textron Systems Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., provides innovative technology solutions to meet the needs of the global aerospace and defense industries. The company supports military precision engagement and dominant maneuver with strike weapons, mobility and surveillance systems. The Textron name is well known in the areas of advanced weapons, surveillance systems, aircraft control components, specialty marine craft and armored vehicles.
Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is a $10 billion multi-industry company with more than 43,000 employees in 40 countries. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com.