An artist's impression of the Bandit, which Blue Force Technologies will mature into a high-performance unmanned air vehicle design that pilots of US Air Force fighter aircraft can use to train against. (US Air Force)
The US Air Force (USAF) has begun building an unmanned ‘Aggressor' aircraft, dubbed Bandit.
The Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRLASD) announced the event on 9 March, saying it has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to Blue Force Technologies to develop the system to support adversary air (ADAIR) training missions.
“Under the Bandit programme, Blue Force Technologies, a small aerospace and defence company based in North Carolina, will mature a high-performance unmanned air vehicle design that pilots of [US] Air Force fighter aircraft can use to train against. The air vehicle is a part of a proposed autonomy-based system providing adversary air training for [US] Air Force, [US] Navy and [US] Marine Corps fighter crews at greatly reduced costs compared to current manned capabilities,” the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio said.
According to the AFRL, the Bandit programme contract was awarded as the result of a Strategic Financing (STRATFI) proposal selected by AFWERX with a USD9 million initial value and options to complete the design and build of up to four air vehicles.
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