Boeing Awarded DARPA Contract to Develop Ultra-Long-Endurance Aircraft

Aerovironment gave a high altitude solar powered aircraft a shot. Now
Boeing is going to give it a go.

Boeing Awarded DARPA Contract to Develop Ultra-Long-Endurance
Aircraft Technologies

Vulture is an ultra-long-endurance aircraft that could stay aloft
for several years and serve as a pseudo-satellite system. (Neg#:
080421d)


ST. LOUIS, April 21, 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a
$3.8 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
contract for Phase 1 of the Vulture air vehicle program, an effort
to create a new category of ultra-long-endurance aircraft.

DARPA's Vulture program calls for developing technologies and
ultimately a vehicle that can deliver and maintain an airborne
payload on station for an uninterrupted period of more than five
years using a fixed-wing aircraft. Boeing is teaming with United
Kingdom-based QinetiQ Ltd. for the program.

The yearlong Phase 1 covers conceptual system definition, and
formal reliability and mission success analysis, concluding with a
System Requirements Review. It also requires conceptual designs
for sub- and full-scale demonstrators.

"Boeing has worked closely with DARPA on a number of innovative
programs in the past and we welcome this important opportunity to
again team with them to define a new air vehicle system with
unprecedented reliability and endurance that significantly extends
current aircraft and spacecraft capabilities," said Pat O'Neil,
program manager, Boeing High Altitude Long Endurance Systems. "We
will combine our strengths in highly reliable aerospace systems
development with the unique capabilities of our teammates,
QinetiQ, Versa Power Systems and Draper Laboratory."

QinetiQ is currently flying and testing a solar-powered,
high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial system for the U.K.
Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense under the
Zephyr Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration. QinetiQ's role
will be to leverage the technologies developed and demonstrated in
Zephyr for the DARPA Vulture program.

The Vulture vehicle's goal is to be capable of carrying a
1,000-pound, 5-kilowatt payload and have a 99 percent probability
of maintaining its on-station position.

The project is a collaborative effort led by Integrated Defense
Systems (IDS) Advanced Systems, working with Boeing Phantom Works,
Boeing Spectrolab and IDS Space and Intelligence Systems.

Currently the only systems capable of providing multiple years of
coverage over a fixed area are geosynchronous satellites orbiting
22,233 miles above Earth. "Such a 'pseudo-satellite' system, like
Vulture, could provide compelling operational advantages in terms
of persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and
communications," said O'Neil.