Textron Systems' Aerosonde Uncrewed Aircraft Conducts Operational Flight from USS Savannah

Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, has announced the first operational flight of its Aerosonde Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-28) USS Savannah.

The follows a contract awarded by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command Center (NAVAIR) to Textron Systems in June, assigning UAS operational support to one Freedom Class and two Independence Class LCS variants.

The Aerosonde UAS is set to contribute to LCS missions, providing overwatch and extended intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services with enhanced payloads. This deployment on the Independence Class LCS marks the fifth class and seventh total ship that the Aerosonde system has been contracted to support.

“Teaming an uncrewed Aircraft System with a crewed ship is a force multiplier for the ship’s existing mission sets, which we’ve seen with our Aerosonde UAS operating from DDG and ESB– class ships,” said Wayne Prender, Senior Vice President of Air Systems. “The expansion of the Aerosonde system’s services onto the LCS extends the capability of the various mission packages employed by the ship.”

The Aerosonde UAS is equipped for multiple payload configurations with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing options. The system boasts capabilities such as covert operation, compatibility with heavy-fuel engines, multi-INT capabilities, and a diverse range of over 40 payloads, including Full-Motion Video, Synthetic Aperture Radar, Electronic Warfare, and 3D mapping. The Aerosonde UAS is available in configurations designated as Mk. 4.7 and Mk. 4.8, encompassing both HQ and Fixed Wing variants.