General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has become the third company to receive a concept refinement contract for the U.S. Navy’s new MQ-25 program, which aims to develop a carrier-based unmanned aircraft.
GA-ASI, whose one-year, $43.7 million contract was announced by the Pentagon Oct. 3, joins Boeing [BA] and Lockheed Martin [LMT], which received similar contracts last month. A fourth company, Northrop Grumman [NOC], is expected to get a comparable award soon.
The four companies previously competed for the MQ-25’s predecessor, the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. While UCLASS focused on intelligence-gathering, the MQ-25 is geared toward aerial refueling.