Redwire has secured a follow-on US Army order to sustain its Stalker uncrewed aircraft fleet at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where soldiers receive training in unmanned aircraft operations. The contract covers maintenance services and spare parts, including hybrid lift batteries, for the Army’s existing Stalker systems. Redwire said continued support will help ensure soldiers train on aircraft they may encounter in operational environments. The training programmes draw on experience accumulated across hundreds of thousands of flight hours on six continents. Stalker is a small, fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft developed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Its modular design allows it to carry different mission payloads, including electro-optical and infrared sensors for daytime and nighttime observation. Redwire states that the aircraft can achieve more than eight hours of endurance when equipped with its fuel-cell power system and has a communications range of up to 160 kilometers (99 miles). The system is designed for autonomous vertical launch, flight, and landing and can be operated by a two-person crew. It can also support multiple aircraft from a single ground control station, with control handoffs between operators. The latest order follows a $15-million contract announced by Redwire in May for additional Stalker systems for the same Army training unit. That award was the third order from the 1st Aviation Brigade in eight months, bringing the value of those recent contracts to $24.8 million.
