TechTaffy

tech:

taffy

Altavian awarded $250 million UAS contract by the U.S. Army

By TechTaffy Desk

Altavian, a U.S. based Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) engineering and manufacturing firm, was awarded  a $250 million Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract with the US Army. Under the Program Executive Office Aviation, Products Office for Tactical Unmanned Aircraft (TUAS), Altavian will be supporting the largest small UAS program in the world.

The US Army Family of Systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (FoSUAS) includes the RQ-11, the RQ-20, supporting control and communications equipment, and other technologies to be fielded over the contract period of performance. All systems are designed to be carried by a single dismounted warfighter, quickly assembled, and deployed to provide immediate over-the-hill surveillance and reconnaissance.

Under this new contract, Altavian will compete to provide components to sustain the FoSUAS fleet, as well as upgrading offerings. New offerings include upgraded avionics and radios with increased frequency options, along with a handheld ground control station (H-GCS). Altavian will continue to supply RQ-11 and RQ-20 direct replacement parts for the government, says the company.

This contract has a base award period of five years and is the primary acquisition method for Group I UAS in the Army. Altavian has been performing on the predecessor contract since 2012.

[Image courtesy: Altavian]

Just in

Around the web

U.S. bans noncompete agreements for nearly all jobs — NPR

The Federal Trade Commission narrowly voted Tuesday to ban nearly all noncompetes, employment agreements that typically prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching ones of their own, writes Andrea Hsu. 
AI

The Coca-Cola Company commits $1.1B to Microsoft Cloud and AI partnership

The Coca-Cola Company and Microsoft announced a five-year partnership on Tuesday. As part of the collaboration, Coca-Cola has committed $1.1 billion to Microsoft Cloud and generative AI capabilities. 
Industry

Silicon Labs appoints Radhika Chennakeshavula as CIO

Silicon Labs has appointed Radhika Chennakeshavula as chief information officer.
Around the web

Apple deletes WhatsApp, Threads from China app store on orders from Beijing — CNN

Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China, following an order from the country’s internet watchdog, writes Juliana Liu.
Industry

Singtel, Vonage partner to integrate Paragon platform

Singtel has announced a partnership with Vonage, a cloud communications company and subsidiary of Ericsson, to help enterprises and telcos innovate and scale their services through Singtel's orchestration platform, Paragon.