AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Bell Helicopter pool resources for manned unmanned operations capability development laboratory

Hunt Valley, Md., 4 April 2012. Bell Helicopter and Textron Systems operating unit AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, both Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) companies, have teamed up to develop a Manned Unmanned Operations (MUMO) Capability Development Labotatory in Huntsville, Ala. to enable software and hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) development test capability using operationally relevant systems specific to manned unmanned teaming.

This MUMO Capability Development Laboratory will serve as a research and development tool to support the U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) vision and roadmap objectives for manned unmanned UAS operations in the future.

This new MUMO Capability Development Laboratory will be both adjacent to, and operationally connected with, the Shadow Tactical UAS HWIL system integration lab (SIL). This laboratory is being expanded to house a Kiowa Warrior OH-58D baseline simulation facility that will conjoin the Shadow HWIL SIL.

The combined laboratory will provide an interoperable MUMO simulation environment to support individual operator requirements for UAS and rotorcraft mission crew requirements.

Construction is underway, and the facility is expected to be opened later this year.