2022Hood River, OR, June 30, 2014 -- /EPR NETWORK/ -- Hood Tech Mechanical’s UAV Launcher is back in Afghanistan, this time supporting the RQ-21A Blackjack UAV using an early operational capability model.
From: Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date: June 26, 2014
Subject: Hood Tech Mechanical Launcher Back in Afghanistan with RQ-21A UAV
Contact: Cory Roeseler, Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc., 541 387-2255, cory@hoodtech.com
The RQ-21A, dubbed the Blackjack, has deployed to Afghanistan (http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/blackjack-uas-deploys-to-afghanistan-400026/). The system features Hood Tech Mechanical’s launcher, which along with a unique capture system frees the UAV for runway-less operation. Two years after the US Marines took delivery of the first two systems, five UAVs are deploying using an early operational capability model. As noted in the article, “...the 61.2-kg-sized RQ-21A is capable of performing many…missions. It carries payloads weighing up to 11.3 kg in an internal bay.” Despite increased size and weight, the Hood Tech Mechanical launcher launches the UAV easily under difficult conditions.
The article goes on to note that the US Marines intend “…to operate 32 RQ-21A systems. The (US Navy) plans to acquire 25 RQ-21As.”
When in 2002 Hood Tech began producing innovative UAV launchers and retrieval systems for small UAVs, those innovations enabled the elimination of runways. This freed aircraft for shipboard use, for deployment in irregular or disrupted landscapes, and for other difficult locations. Showing their ruggedness and reliability, Hood Tech launchers have initiated tens of thousands of flights under the extreme environments of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and aboard ships in the oceans around the globe.
Dr. Andy von Flotow founded Hood Technology in Hood River, Oregon in 1992. In addition to the design and manufacture of launch systems, Hood Technology:
Provides zip test services for pre-flight safety verification of experimental aircraft and components.
Owns and maintains a silent wind tunnel for measuring UAV engine and prop noise in accordance with MILSTD1474.
Develops, tests, and manufactures stabilized imaging systems for a variety of UAVs
Monitors blade vibrations in industrial turbines and jet engines, a diagnostic method for predicting possible future failures.
The Hood Tech web site is: www.hoodtech.com
Contact-Details: Cory Roeseler
Hood Tech
135 Country Club Road, Building A
Hood River, OR 97031
5413872255
ken@hoodtech.com
http://www.hoodtech.com
