For Immediate Release
Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft (CICADA) are micro air-vehicles that can be deployed in large numbers to flood an area
Hollywood, MD (July 1st, 2019) – The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) have awarded Platform Aerospace a prime contract to deliver Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft (CICADA). This versatile system is being developed in conjunction with Zepher, Inc.
NRL refers to CICADA as a low-cost, GPS-guided, micro disposable air vehicle that can be deployed in large numbers to “seed” and area with miniature electronic payloads. These air vehicles can be placed in hostile territory without directly flying over those hostile regions without having to expose human agents on the ground. The CICADA glide to the destination and because there are no motors, it makes them nearly undetectable in flight. Once they land, they can be used for various applications, such as meteorological, chemical, or biological measurements and signals intelligence (SIGINT) monitoring.
“The CICADA program highlights Platform’s ability to enhance the design and updated the manufacturing process”, stated Kurt Parsons, CEO of Platform Aerospace. He continued, “We are honored to continue working with the Naval Research Laboratory and excited to provide such important solutions to the Office of Naval Research.”
CICADA has the potential to be the world’s largest effort, yet to manufacture and test UAVs at scale, especially as it relates to swarming capabilities.
Platform Aerospace is the industry leader in rapid prototyping and aircraft modification through our world-class engineering, design, analysis and fabrication teams. They take projects from the laboratory to fully functional in the aircraft in aggressively quick turnarounds. They are dedicated to excellence and to the Navy’s mission success.
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About Platform Aerospace
Platform Aerospace is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) dedicated to supporting the warfighter and our customers success. For the last two decades, Platform Aerospace has specialized in rapid prototyping, bringing requirements from theory to fully-cleared flight operations and sensor testing more quickly than the industry standard. We possess strong Navy engineering, aircraft maintenance and modification abilities demonstrated by twenty-five years of past performance in hundreds of projects. We bring the necessary capability, technical competency and capacity to fulfill project’s requirements with expertise in engineering, design, analysis, fabrication, installation and flight operations. Visit www.platformaero.com to learn more.
