According to the Air Force, nine out of 10 bombs and missiles fired in Southwest Asia have the advantage of support from live-streaming video seen by air crews and ground controllers alike, courtesy of Remote Operated Video enhanced Receiver (ROVER) links to cameras on close air support aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. Ground controllers see the video on their laptops and can guide CAS to the target and provide instant battlefield assessment back to the pilot. As of this month, there are about 1,000—including Australian, British, Canadian, and US purchases—ROVER III models available, with more on order. (An earlier model also was used to support Hurricane Katrina recovery operations.)
RTX, parent of Raytheon, Collins and Pratt & Whitney, is getting out of the space prime business and focusing on its "strengths" as a maker of space sensors, buses, and components, company COO Chris Calio said during an earnings call.