While UCLASS Competitors Wait for RFP Release, General Atomics Starts Production on Avenger UCAV for US Air Force

Boeing and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) are working on flyable demonstrators in support of their Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (Uclass) bids, according to industry officials. Boeing is not commenting on its Uclass work, but GA-ASI's candidate for the slow-gelling U.S. Navy requirement is a larger version of its jet-powered Avenger—which, under another previously undisclosed program, is in low-rate production for the U.S. Air Force. Both are expected to be flying by 2015.

One of the other Uclass contenders, Lockheed Martin, says it has no plans to build a demonstrator. The other, Northrop Grumman, is not disclosing details of its Uclass concepts.

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