BAE, AVX to chase Navy unmanned rotorcraft deal

BAE has teamed with small helicopter manufacturer AVX to bid for the U.S. Navy’s Medium-Range Maritime Unmanned Aircraft System (MRMUAS) scheduled for fielding in 2019, reports Graham Warwick at Aviation Week’s Ares Blog.

AVX’s design specialization is a combination of coaxial rotors and ducted fans that are intended to provide the rotorcraft with better hover and forward flight performance. For MRMUAS, the AVX-designed rotorcraft would be integrated with BAE’s autonomous mission systems and payloads.

Other likely bidders for MRMUAS are Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Sikorsky.