Teledyne Flir awarded $13 million government contract
Teledyne Flir Defense, a subsidiary of Teledyne, has been awarded a $13.3 million contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to further expand the capabilities of its R80D SkyRaider unmanned aerial system to autonomously perform chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance missions, the company announced Feb. 8.
Teledyne Flir, which has operations in Goleta, will integrate flight control software that allows its SkyRaider UAS to autonomously fly CBRN missions currently performed by soldiers that carry detection sensors in hazardous areas, the company said in a press release.
By doing so, the new technology will allow soldiers to complete these missions without directly controlling the drone and without exposing themselves to toxic substances.
Teledyne Flir will also design and build prototype chemical and radiological sensor payloads for the R80D SkyRaider, as well as integrate existing detectors in the U.S. Army’s inventory.
This effort builds on three years of investment by several joint program offices to develop new and improved UAS capabilities for CBRN missions, the company said.
For the base contract, Teledyne Flir will deliver four SkyRaiders and six of each sensor payload, with options to support training, documentation, plus the delivery of additional UAS and payloads. The contract period of performance is 33 months, if all options are exercised.
The award was made through the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense; Joint Product Manager for Reconnaissance and Platform Integration (JPdM RPI); and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Sensor Integration on Robotics Platforms Program Office (CSIRP).
Teledyne shares were flat on Feb. 8, closing at $433.80. Shares have gone up 8% since the start of the new year.
