The Air Force awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems a $43.3 million contract for retrofit kits for MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, according to the Pentagon. The retrofit kits include new heavyweight landing gear; newer bomb rack technology for increased safety, reliability, and redundancy; and improvements for the dissemination of data collected by the aircraft’s sensors, company spokeswoman Kimberly Kasitz told Air Force Magazine. The company will provide the retrofit kits by July 2017, states the contract announcement, which is included in the Defense Department’s Jan. 6 list of major contracts. The Pentagon did not disclose the number of retrofit kits covered by the contract.
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
