Search

The article focuses on the budgetary issues surrounding the U.S. Department of Defense. According to the author, combat aviation will likely fare well in the Fiscal 2010 budget, but the major changes directed by President Barack Obama will be included in the Fiscal 2011 spending plan. An overview of Obama's vision for the defense sector of the country is provided, along with his plans for the Air Force. The article also describes the programs being implemented for military aviation.

The article presents information on the development of the Wedgetail aircraft in Australia. It reflects that the actual plan was to develop an airborne radar that could pick out very small targets at great distances. It views that the vision has made a quantum leap into a world of network-centric warfare with the development of the Wedgetail aircraft. Having the Boeing 737-based platform it will become the hub of net-centric operations and conduct a wide range of active and passive surveillance.

The article reports on the efforts of the U.S. Air Force to protect its space operations. It lunched a new study to reassess and protect its space operations. Another effort is using the Counter Communications systems, which employs mobile antennas to jam an enemy's access to space. Another concern of the USAF is the ability of micro-satellites to evade U.S. ground-and-space-based sensors that track objects in orbit.

The article reports that the production of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s stealth fighter lines may be interrupted by unfriendly congressional funding and poor export prospects of F-22. The chances of securing congressional approval of a three-year contract for a batch of 60 U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors continues to be bleak. U.S. Senate heavyweights remain ranged against the F-22 multiyear purchase , as also Japan accepting the price structure of the F 22 aircrafts.

The article presents information on the problems regarding the partnership in the aeronautic industry between Great Britain and the United States. It reflects that while Pentagon claims problems are close to resolution Great Britain finds fault in the U.S. handling of industrial partnership. It observes that the Anglo-American feuding over the Joint Strike Fighter threatens to spill over into the wider transatlantic relationship. Great Britain is leading the assault on Washington over the contentious issue of technology access on the Joint Strike Fighter with other program partners, such as Australia, in support.

The article reports that aviation company Raytheon plans to market an HPM system that looks like a radar and functions like a weapon to deflect enemy missiles. A series of closely guarded tests, Raytheon researchers have shot down a variety of shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles--the nightmare of airline operators--with pulses of microwave energy at a distance of several miles. The HPM technology is to be the heart of the company's Vigilant Eagle system to protect aircraft from shoulder-fired missiles or man-portable air defense systems during takeoff and landing operations.

The article reports that with their pending teaming agreement, aviation contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. and EADS are trying to shape the agenda as the U.S. Department of Defense sits down in coming weeks to craft new plans for buying modern, U.S. Air Force aerial refuelers. But industry officials suggest an influential study now being reviewed at the Department could totally alter the direction of the procurement plans, sending potential bidders back to the drawing board and opening the field to additional competitors. The study, drafted by the Air Force's preferred think tank, Rand, proposes to divide the program into an aircraft buy and a separate tanker conversion contract. Previously, the Defense Dept. envisioned one contractor to provide the aircraft and military modifications.

This article focuses on a new wave of concepts that has emerged from the U.S. Air Force quest for unmanned Hunter-Killer aircraft. But most of the aerospace industry's responses, from Northrop Grumman, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Aurora Flight Sciences and Lockheed Martin, remain shrouded in mystery. Northrop Grumman aggressively spun up two designs, an unmanned version of Scaled Composites' Proteus research aircraft and a smaller, Global Hawk look-alike. Aurora Flight Sciences and Israel Aircraft Industries teamed on an armed version of a turboprop twin-boom, 8,500-lb.

This article presents information on the competition that has just caught new category of unmanned aircraft, with an estimated market of $16-45 billion over the next 10-15 years. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems started the blaze with the still unannounced construction start of an all-jet Predator C, and Northrop Grumman Corp. is fanning the flames with advanced planning for a competing aircraft that's expected to be a departure in design from the more sophisticated Global Hawk. Northrop Grumman foresees a 3,000-aircraft market internationally for a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle system UAVs that's stealthy or evasive enough to survive medium-threat air defenses while offering flight endurance of around 24 hr.

Top Israeli futurists are arguing against the purchase of any more attack helicopters, particularly the $35-million-per-copy Longbow Apaches, as of February 19, 2004. Instead, they believe the Israeli military's experiences in West Bank fighting and the U.S. Army and Marine Corps combat in Iraq, where helicopters continue to be shot down even in the current low-intensity phase, show that armed unmanned aerial vehicles provide far cheaper platforms for precision surveillance and bomb dropping than any manned aircraft. And, the U.S.' current operational tactic in Iraq of using C-130s and combat aircraft like F-16s and A-10s as reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft is a system only a rich country like the U.S. can afford.

Much of Israel's defense technology future is predictable, more precise weapons, improved intelligence gathering, long-range strike capabilities, larger unmanned aircraft and networking of information. Less obvious is an almost invisible but very focused effort on developing systems, particularly weapons, that don't rely on global positioning system (GPS) guidance, that include both offensive and defensive computer network attack capabilities and make extensive use of armed unmanned aircraft. A new threat that worries Israeli planners first appeared in combat this year when the Iraqi military used Russian-made GPS jammers in an attempt to decrease the accuracy of U.S. satellite-guided weapons. "The U.S. has put a lot of money into GPS and controls it," a senior Israeli aerospace official said. In the effort to wean the force from reliance on GPS, research officials plan to develop more simple, reliable systems like Rafael's Spice, a small smart missile that can home in on electronic signals or use automatic target recognition to locate its target precisely. A series of unmanned aerial vehicles are under development, ranging from mini- and micro-aircraft for urban fighting to high-altitude, long-endurance systems of several tons, like Israel Aircraft Industries' Heron TP.

This article reports that planning for new aircraft shows that they can be developed with wide-area optical and electronic surveillance and nonexplosive weapons and can perform an analysis of enemy networks that might affect them. Such aircraft will also be able to cruise at supersonic speeds and operate in the stealth mode.

This article reports that aviation industry had hoped U.S. Air Force planners would refine requirements for the new KC-X tanker to expedite the program. Instead, a much-anticipated request for information has fueled the service's appetite for even more data without addressing some crucial needs. This created confusion among contractors about what the Pentagon really wants, and speculation that politics played a role in shaping the acquisition document. The request for information asks about operating a new tanker in combination with refurbished older tankers and the purchase of refueling by the hour from commercial vendors. The requirements call for data about new and/or used, medium and/or large commercial-derivative tanker aircraft.

The article presents information on the U.S. Air Force's replacement tanker program KC-X. KC-X has languished for two years while enduring a blizzard of analyzes, but it is finally being launched with a contract award expected in mid-2007. The contract award date already involves a slide of about three months--from spring 2007 to summer--beyond earlier projections. Kenneth J. Krieg, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, signed the Acquisition Decision Memorandum, which directs the Air Force to begin the requirements and acquisition process.

The article reports that Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Skunk Works division is secretly developing a stealthy, long-endurance unmanned aircraft for penetrating deep inside hostile airspace to collect intelligence. The division is perceived as lagging rivals Boeing and Northrop Grumman Corp. in the unmanned aerial vehicle field. By early next year at the latest, the company is expected to announce that, with the U.S. Air Force's backing, it is building one or more demonstrators of what the Pentagon has newly designated as an unmanned aircraft system.

This article focuses on the U.S. Department of Defense planners who are beginning to quietly voice their alarm at what appears to be up to a $30-billion shortfall that could threaten a host of weapon programs--including aviation projects. And as they begin to forge a budget for Fiscal 2007 and beyond, they anticipate vicious fights over funding resembling those that started off this year as the department finished the Fiscal 2006 request. A small group of defense civilians mandated the cuts, including reductions in the F/A-22 and termination for the C-130J and Joint Common Missile.

The article reports that the next-generation radar being developed for the E-10 surveillance aircraft is designed to detect small, even stealthy, objects--in particular, cruise missiles--at long distances and cue specially equipped F-15s and F/A-22s about where to find and attack them. That alone keeps much of the system's development under wraps. At the moment, program officials say they are only interested in the synthetic aperture radar mapping, ground moving target indicator and air moving target indicator modes, and that the project is currently under budget and ahead of schedule by 2-3%.

The article reports that Raytheon Aircraft Co.'s Flight Test Operations has some exotic distinctions, including flying the world's last squadron of Douglas A-3 Skywarrior bombers and a DC-10 with an open port for sensor observation that is believed to be the largest in the world on a currently flying aircraft. The DC-10, called the Widebody Airborne Sensor Platform aircraft, was located, modified and flown by Raytheon for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. Its most recent mission, supporting Aegis ship-based ballistic missile tests, was to record the launch of ballistic missiles targets dropped by parachute from the back of a cargo aircraft.

The article reports that engineers at aviation company Raytheon Aircraft Co. are betting that a big part of countering these threats involves the development of speed-of-light, directed-energy weapons--among them, the solid-state laser. This is in wake of an increasing perception that future threats are going to include many small, agile targets such as stealthy cruise missiles, attack aircraft, or artillery and mortar projectiles. Researchers suggest that their design--even before being miniaturized for aircraft--could be made mobile by mounting it on heavy trucks or trailers.

The article informs that the U.S. strike aircraft prowling the skies of Iraq are arriving far better equipped to find ground targets than they were a year ago. The Navy F/A-18E/Fs launching from ships and the Air Force F-16Cs in Iraq and F-15Es flying from nearby countries are now all equipped with new-generation sensor pods such as the Sniper XR and Litening AT that aircrews say have significantly improved their combat identification capability. Moreover, the new pods can be installed on almost any tactical aircraft scheduled to rotate through Iraq. Acclimation to the new sensor pods is considered minimal.

This article focuses on the E-8 Joint Stars which won its first combat laurels in 1991 by spotting Iraq's only offensive thrust, then peered through sandstorms in 2003's fighting to help decimate an armored division. Now, in 2005, it has adapted to the war against insurgents. In addition to finding new ways to use the aircraft in combat, E-8 operators have identified a series of upgrades that could make it an even more effective platform in this new type of warfare. While military and aerospace industry officials are cryptic about available analytical techniques, they indicate that they can play back a mission tape to see where a bomber's trip originated.

The article reports that the stealth bombers of the U.S. air force are poised for a massive overhaul. It further reports that to prepare itself for the new reality, Boeing Co., is creating a new organization called Air Force Systems Global Strike Solutions to meld its fighter, bomber, weapon and unmanned system programs. Boeing strategists want an organization that can reach anywhere in the company to find answers to the Pentagon's desire for a force that can strike anywhere in the world from the continental U.S.

The article reports that propulsion systems are quickly becoming a key to next-generation stealth platforms. The conflicting requirements of low-cost and high-stealth aircraft remain unresolved. However, there may be a solution in new concepts offered by engine builders who suggest cutting costs by building more stealth into the propulsion systems and less into the airframe. One example of this strategy is the S-shaped engine exhaust. It was presaged by General Electric Co. and Northrop Grumman's work on the B-2.

This article discusses the investigation related to crash of the test aircraft F/A-22. Early analysis of the recent Lockheed Martin Corp. manufactured F/A-22 crash at Nellis AFB, Nevada is for the most part, producing theories of what did not cause the accident. The test did not involve flying with a heavy ferry-load of fuel, shifting the aircraft's center of gravity or taking off with insufficient speed. One early inquiry involved determining if there was an aircraft taking off on a parallel runway that could have produced a wake or vortices that affected the F/A-22.

The article presents information related to aeronautics in the U.S. Lockheed Martin Corp. designers are taking the wraps off four concepts they are offering to the U.S. Air Force to meet its requirements for an interim long-range strike platform to fit in between the B-2 and whatever will replace the 21 stealth bombers in the 2035 period. Pratt & Whitney Corp. officials say they arc testing derivative F119 engines both for new long-range strike and long-range reconnaissance aircraft concepts.

This article discusses the utility of unmanned airships. Since an airship can stay aloft for days, Arinc Inc., based in Annapolis, is designing an unmanned version of the American Blimp Corp.'s A-170 airship, which recently performed a 24-hr, demonstration flight over Washington. The company is also looking at the stretched A-180 and other airships with greater lift capacity for carrying payloads of more than 2,200 lb. Now airship builders think that remotely piloted, motorized blimps would make a useful addition to the U.S.'s growing arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles.

This article reports that the prospect of a fourth version of the Joint Strike Fighter specialized by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for close air support is probably dead for at least a decade. The concerns were raised during meetings between program representatives and the U.S. House and Senate staffers to present the new Joint Strike Fighter program plan that reflects a weight reduction strategy devised in recent months for the F-35B. Aerospace officials contend USAF may be positioning itself to add an expeditionary close air support capability about 2015 when the aircraft is more mature. While civilian researchers are looking at Lockheed Martin F-35 derivatives, at this juncture there is little latitude for the services to improvise because of the aircraft's joint nature.

The article focuses on the awaited reaction to an announcement made by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) that it wants to buy hundreds of short-takeoff F-35B joint strike fighters modified to provide close air support for Army and Marine Corps ground forces. A major unanswered question is whether the USAF version would simply have a different paint job, helping decrease the price of F-35Bs for the Marine Corps because of added production or would become a fourth variant of the aircraft with specialized equipment and optional design components that might clear the way for more flexibility for foreign customers.

The article presents information on several recent developments, from across the world related to aviation technology. A new concept of operations for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) for the U.S. Air Force is being crafted, a document that could alter the service's future spending in this field. Researchers already have their eyes on new missions, with developers of the X-45 unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) having set their sights on penetrating reconnaissance. The ISR concept of operations may help clarify the service's actual interest.

The article presents information on recent developments, from across the world, related to aviation. U.S. Air Force leaders plan to buy short takeoff F-35B Joint Strike Fighters to give better close air support to the Army and Marine Corps. The U.S. Air Force's top leaders say the service will buy several wings of the short takeoff/vertical landing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, following the news from Lockheed Martin Corp.'s engineers that the aircraft is shedding more than a ton of weight and gaining thrust.

The U.S. Army is borrowing production money from its next five-year budget plan to pay development costs for an additional four programs in its Future Combat System project. The reassigned funding will add two unmanned air vehicle programs as well as an armed robotic vehicle and a manned maintenance and recovery ground vehicle to what could now become a $21-billion system development-and-demonstration phase of the FCS program. Past army leadership has been heavily criticized for its long-term neglect of aviation modernization and for using aviation funding to pay for other high-profile programs such as armor. As part of the reshuffling, four programs are being reinstated and four more will be accelerated.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to put the finishing touches on its revised, and now joint, unmanned combat air vehicle project in the next few weeks, with the goal of having operationally representative systems flying in 2007. Darpa is already making visible strides in the Uninhabited combat aerial vehicles arena based on projects begun several years ago, as of April 26, 2004. For instance, Boeing recently completed the first guided weapons test for its X-45A, using a 250-lb. Small Smart Bomb GPS-guided weapons prototype. The weapon was released at a speed of Mach 0.67 at 35,000 feet during a 50-minute, 63-nautical-miles mission from Edwards AFB, California, to the adjacent China Lake naval facility, says Navy Commander Ralph Alderson, who oversees the Air Force element of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System project.

Confusion surrounds steath fighter Raptor's air to ground upgrade program as congressional investigators predict cost increases. There are signs the F/A-22 Raptor program is running into the same lethal combination of financial pressures, uneven progress in development and intensified congressional scrutiny that led to the cancellation of the U.S. Army's RAH-66 Comanche. In order to keep the F/A-22 program alive in United States. Air Force will have to defend it vigorously against any kind of criticism as the production costs seemed to increase and more research is required in the ground attack capability, adding of the precision and standoff weaponry to the aircraft.

A high profile review of U.S. Army aviation plans is reaching its apex. U.S. Army aviation planners are encouraged by the new chief's bias toward technological modernization and his support of the service's helicopter force, stemming largely from his special operations background. But they worry that Army aviation funding has been curbed and new projects purged, so ruthlessly that even the few that survive will never fully mature. Aviation specialists also point out that all upgrade programs are still consistently being pushed to later dates to meet budget requirements, therefore the new scout helicopters promised on the current schedule are not expected to be forthcoming, according to Army program insiders.

The article reports that an Israeli company is conducting surveillance for the Israel Defense Force. The primary business of the company has been the manufacturing of a small, 3.5-lb. command-and-control device called Umas (universal multi-applications system). It is basically a small, high-capacity computer. For this mission, it is installed behind the Aerostar UAV's engine in an electronically shielded box. It can be integrated with other systems by a few rapid additions to the software package. In fact, software updates can be sent to the system by e-mail. When the UAV reaches the border, the Aeronautics controller, sitting in a small control room and bunkhouse beside the runway, hands off the aircraft to the army's Gaza Brigade operators, who will direct the small aircraft during most of its 14-hour. Umas is one of the building blocks of network-centric operations (NCO). It has been installed on a variety of ships, ground vehicles and aircraft. As part of the Integrated Border Management System, it also can help fuse the operation of UAVs with radars, cameras and smart fences.

Dassault Aviation SA has delivered the first five Mirage 2000-9s to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the most recent move in modernization of the UAE Air Force. The new aircraft will join a fleet of about 60 Mirage 5 and Mirage 2000 reconnaissance, attack and air defense variants already operated by the force. Dassault invests 24% of its resources into research and development and encourages cross-fertilization between its civil and military operations. As a future potential customer, Brazil is being offered a modified Mirage 20005 Mk2. The aircraft is to provide yet another layer to Brazil's Amazon patrol and early-warning network which already operates an Embraer AWACS and the Super Tucano light-attack aircraft. If adopted, the initial order would be for 12 aircraft, applied as the first phase of meeting a 100-aircraft requirement for the Brazilian air force.

Three U.S. Air Force A-10 aircrafts were hit by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire on successive days during the battle for Baghdad. Of these, one was shot down, another made an emergency landing at an occupied base in southern Iraq and the last made it back to Kuwait with its hydraulics shot away. The pilot of the third aircraft, a captain identified only as “K.C.,” recovered the aircraft from uncontrolled flight after being hit and flew back to base. Friends confide that K.C. stands for Killer Chick. She was one of two women piloting A-10s in the Iraq conflict. The A-10's ability to withstand damage, operate at low altitudes and use a variety of precision weapons are some of the main reasons the aircraft was “the weapon of choice” for operations over Baghdad and the air campaign in general.

Reports the formation of battle lines between the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officials due to aircraft program budgets. Modification of cuts of each program; Change in the deployment of the aircrafts; Step in the aviation reorganization plan.

Focuses on Lockheed Martin's envisioned midsize transport called the new strategic aircraft (NSA). The aircraft to rapidly shift between airlift, refueling and air drop duties; The aircraft to spin off derivatives that would embrace several roles; Four basic concepts being investigated by Lockheed Martin; Planned retirement of aircraft giving momentum to Lockheed Martin; Possibility of US Air Force interest in new transports.

The article considers the introduction of radar into the skin of aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles. Radar will begin making its transformation by year-end from the large, heavy device inside aircraft to large, thin arrays that become part of the wings of long-endurance unmanned vehicles or the skin of a high-altitude airship. These include the E-10 surveillance aircraft, E-3 AWACS and RC-135 Rivet Joint follow-on designs.

The article reports that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision to call for early elections has added a new twist to the ongoing campaign to find a new chief executive for the country's largest defense and aerospace company, Israel Aircraft Industries Corp. The search for Keret's replacement has been underway for several weeks, and applications for the job were due to be submitted last week. A legal controversy surrounding Keret has drawn extra attention to the leadership handover. A legal controversy surrounding Keret has drawn extra attention to the leadership handover. Keret's tenure has largely been viewed as a success.

The article presents information about the autonomous aerial refueling scheme for an unmanned tanker and an unmanned combat aircraft, designed by two U.S. Air Force test pilot school students. Captain Chris Spinelli designed a program for the two aircraft's carrier phase differential Global Positioning Systems. Captain Steve Ross designed a control system for the Learjet. Bank-angle and roll-rate measurements and the relative positions of the C-12 were recorded and linked to the receiver aircraft. The students believe this to be the first demonstration of autonomous aerial refueling maneuvers over a standard racetrack course. The capability is expected to increase unmanned aircraft deployments and decrease dependence on in-theater bases while extending range and on-station time.

This article reports that researchers at BAE Systems PLC and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency believe that electrostatic fields surrounding airborne helicopters can be charted with enough fidelity to recognize the signatures of various projectiles and to give helicopter crews warning that they are being shot at, and from what direction, by a range of small arms and anti-aircraft weapons. The weapons being studied include the deadly, inexpensive and widely available rocket propelled grenade. While researchers won't address such a corollary, a follow-on phase of such a project would be development of a defensive system that intercepts, deflects or otherwise avoids the incoming threat. BAE Systems has been looking at the problem of detecting, and possibly deflecting, dumb weapons fired at helicopters, for a couple of years. Many U.S. helicopters were shot down or damaged in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.

This article presents information on recent developments, from across the world, related to aviation technology. The U.S. Army's desire to purchase twin-engine transports for on-demand delivery of small, high-priority loads is stalled due to low-key disagreements with some in the Air Force about who owns them, who controls them and how many the Army wants. The U.S. Transportation Command has opined that the twin-engine transport does not meet its requirements, but Army officials contend it is what they must have to work around scheduling conflicts that arise when Air Force transports are needed on short notice.

The British Defense Ministry intends to use classified unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) research as leverage in negotiating a collaborative program, almost certainly with the U.S. Great Britain is now engaged in high-level contacts about participating in a U.S. UCAV program, potentially along the lines of its involvement with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The U.S.' Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System project is the focus for its UCAV work, and covers the Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47 air vehicle demonstrators. While seeking access to U.S. technology developments, it has also been courted by other European states, including France, to take part in a European demonstrator project.

Lockheed Martin Corp. has unveiled the concept for a new assault seacraft that borrows heavily from first-generation stealth aircraft as well as from special operations and attack helicopters. The covert, two-man, high-speed attack and reconnaissance craft is designed to fight off swarms of enemy suicide boats, attack diesel submarines and disable mines, says George Root, director of advanced programs. Lockheed Martin analysts hope will reach 50 kt., is considered to be another defense, Root said.

The U.S. Air Force is facing new scrutiny over the potential acquisition of 100 Boeing KC-767 tankers and faces another hurdle as it charts the future for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. With the tanker deal stalled while the Pentagon Inspector General (IG) investigates accusations of wrongdoing between Air Force and Boeing representatives, the Pentagon was forced to exclude any provisions for a near-term program in its Fiscal 2005 budget request. Sensitive to the accusation that the Air Force has had an overly cozy relationship with the Chicago-based aerospace giant, Donald H. Rumsfeld told lawmakers that the DSB assessment excludes participants who have had ties to Boeing or the tanker issue.

A propulsion system and a Russian aircraft are getting a boost with the U.S. Navy's agreement to help develop a small, unmanned prototype of the aircraft design. Naval Air Systems Command has teamed with Saratov Aviation to cooperatively develop a 500 pound class aircraft. A small, remote-controlled version of the design flew in Russia in 1993 following 13 years of work on the concept. Flight-testing of the unmanned aerial vehicle is expected to begin in 3-5 years. Navy officials believe it could open the door to rough field operations and long-distance transport.

The desire for daytime survivability has led U.S. Army and Air Force researchers to reconsider the comparative or additive advantages of various types of stealth. For many of the unmanned aircraft and ground vehicles that will make up the Boeing-integrated Future Combat System, the Army appears to have chosen to focus on small size and silence. Stealth shaping and coatings, as well as active visual treatment have been largely put aside as too expensive for the smaller vehicles. The Army will focus instead on cheap, networked aircraft and ground vehicles that are difficult to see or hear, and that can be rapidly replaced if they are shot down.

The competition for an unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft is intensifying with a new concept from the workshops of high technology firm General Atomics Corp. that features two days' endurance at altitudes up to 50,000 ft. The turboprop design has been dubbed the Predator B-ER, for extended range. It adds an 86-ft. wing from the Altair research aircraft and conformal fuel tanks to the original Predator B airframe.