News Review: Shadow gets wing extension | ADM Jun 2010

1 June 2010

AAI has begun deliveries of the new extended wing kit for its Shadow UAS.

The US Army has ordered 100 extended wing kits for distribution to Army and Marine Corps units.

The wing kits extend the Shadow wingspan from 14 to 20 feet.

This increases the size of the aircraft's fuel cell, increasing aircraft endurance from six to nearly nine hours.

The redesigned wing also includes hard points for external stores.

This modification dramatically increases the Shadow aircraft's mission flexibility in theatre, allowing it to not only gather and disseminate electro-optical and infrared full-motion video and metadata with its standard payload, but also to carry additional payloads.

AAI will use a fleet update program, which officially kicked off at the beginning of February, to install additional enhancements to the aircraft.

Wiring harness and software modifications are designed to enable the Shadow aircraft to accept a new laser designator payload.

In addition, a new electronic fuel injection engine and fuel system will increase the system's reliability under the wide range of environmental conditions encountered by fielded Shadow systems.