The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded GA-ASI the contract to manufacture and perform demonstration flights of the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) aircraft.
Graphic: GA-ASI
This follows a 12-month base period that resulted in a critical design review (CDR) and the exercise of a build and flight test option.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is working on a program called Low Cost Attritable Platform Sharing (LCAAPS), which aims to build different types of aircraft using a shared platform to save time and money. GA-ASI has been given the job to develop an aircraft under the OBSS, which is the second part of the LCAAPS. The Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstration (LCASD) program represented the first demonstration. Kratos won the LCASD portion and flew the XQ-58A Valkyrie.
The Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) drone is being designed to only have a limited lifespan of a few years, not decades. This means that it won’t require any major maintenance at a repair center (depot maintenance) and will only need minimal maintenance in the field. This is part of the effort to make the drone more cost-effective and quickly adaptable to changing needs.
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