Boeing Insitu Wins US Navy Contract For Blackjack UAS Production

Boeing Insitu has won a $70 million contract to deliver six additional RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aircraft systems to the US Navy.

The contract includes three Blackjack systems for the Navy and three more for the US Marine Corps. Each system is comprised of unmanned aircraft, ground control stations, multi-mission plug-and-play payloads, and additional supporting equipment.

The work is expected to be complete by February 2018, the US department of defense announced Tuesday.

The RQ-21A Blackjack is a twin-engine unmanned aircraft used to support maritime and land operations. The vehicle, a larger follow-up to the Scan Eagle, is fitted to perform reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions.

The aircraft are able to fly at a range of 50 nautical miles and reach speeds around 80 knots.

Standard payloads include electro-optical and infrared cameras for full-motion video, laser rangefinders, communication relays, and Automatic Identification System receives.