Aerodyne Controls to Supply Components for the Hydrogen-powered Global Observer Unmanned Aircraft
RONKONKOMA, NEW YORK - AeroVironment, Inc. is under contract to build a hydrogen-powered high altitude, long endurance unmanned aircraft for the U.S. Special Operations Command. The contract includes options for the development and delivery of two additional Global Observer aircraft. The work is scheduled to finish by April 2011. Over the next few years, the aircraft will demonstrate the ability to operate in the stratosphere for up to seven days without landing. The technology demonstrator is intended to prove the tactical utility of a hydrogen-powered UAS for long duration (five- to seven-day) missions at altitudes from 55,000 to 65,000 feet. Aerodyne Controls is under contract from AeroVironment for valving components which operate with the aircrafts hydrogen fuel system. These valves are the fill and jettison valve and the vent and isolation valves. All hardware is designed to operate with the cryogenic hydrogen fuel. Qualified hardware is required by the end of 2008. Aerodyne Controls is a CIRCOR Aerospace company located in Ronkonkoma, New York dedicated to the design, development, and manufacture of specialty fluidic control components and systems for demanding aerospace and defense applications. The Aerodyne team specializes in custom pneumatic subsystems for weapons release defense application, custom switches, and precision medical technologies.
