Textron Systems to Enhance U.S. Navy’s littoral Combat ships with COCO UAS Services

Textron systems has been awarded a critically important contract to deliver COCO UAS services for the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).

The Naval Air Systems command (NAVAIR) has granted Textron a task order valued at $47 million to support three Independence Class LCS that will be deployed to the 5th Fleet.

This latest contract builds on a previous agreement from 2023, which aimed to enhance Unmanned Aerial System support for LCS vessels, increasing the total number of U.S.Navy ships utilizing the Aerosonde® UAS to ten.

Deployment of Advanced UAS Technology

Textron Systems plans to utilize its Aerosonde UAS along with a team of experts to deliver mission oversight and extended-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. This will include advanced mission payloads, similar to those currently operational on the Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB)-4 and ESB-5, as well as two DDG-class ships and three LCS vessels. Notably, in December 2023, the Aerosonde UAS successfully completed its first operational flight from the LCS-28 USS Savannah.

Expert Insights on UAS Integration

David Phillips, senior Vice President of Air, Land, and Sea Systems, remarked, “For over a decade, Textron Systems has provided COCO services with our Aerosonde UAS, showcasing the adaptability and benefits that this model offers to military operations.”

“By overseeing the entire lifecycle of the system—including technology integration, human factors, and maintenance—employing the Aerosonde UAS allows our Navy clients to concentrate entirely on thier core missions. We enhance the operational capabilities of each ship’s mission packages efficiently and reliably.”