General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA?ASI), a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical reconnaissance radars, today announced that it has received notification of an award of a $53 million ceiling price order from Raytheon Aircraft Company of Wichita, Kan., to provide an initial lot of five integrated Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) suites for the company's Beechcraft King Air 350ER (Extended Range) aircraft and related ground stations to be supplied to the Iraqi Air Force under the U.S. Government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. 

Under the terms of the contract, the GA-ASI team – which consists of L-3 Communications West, L-3 EO/IR Inc., and Exclusive Charter Services – will provide airborne payloads and operator workstations (which run CLAW® sensor control and analysis software), as well as fixed, mobile and man-transportable data linked ground stations, support equipment, and training and logistics support. 

"This program for Iraq represents a total end-to-end airborne ISR solution," said Linden P. Blue, president, Reconnaissance Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.  "It integrates the airborne payload package with an operator console station that collects, formats, and displays sensor data for optimum exploitation.  Imagery and exploitation products can then be sent via an airborne data link to ground stations for further analysis.  This equipment will increase current Iraqi Air Force airborne reconnaissance and intelligence collection capabilities significantly."

The GA-ASI team will equip modified Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft that will be used by the Iraqi Air Force as it assumes greater control of the ISR mission within the country.  Each ISR aircraft will include a Lynx® IIE SAR/GMTI radar, MX-15i Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) camera system, CLAW software, and a high-bandwidth data link system. 

GA-ASI will provide the Lynx radar and assemble and integrate the sensor and communications equipment onto operator console stations and sheltered data link ground stations at its facilities in San Diego, Calif.  The company has a long and successful history of integrating and controlling multiple ISR sensors with its CLAW sensor software suite. 

L-3 Communications West of Salt Lake City, Utah, will provide the data link, including both airborne and surface terminal equipment, while L-3 Communications EO/IR Inc. of Santa Rosa, Calif., will supply the MX-15i EO/IR gimbal.  Exclusive Charter Services of San Diego will supply the sensor operator console racks.