BAE selected to work on computer system for U.S. Navy’s unmanned aerial-refueling system

ENDICOTT, N.Y. — Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has chosen BAE Systems to upgrade and modernize the vehicle–management system computer (VMSC) for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 unmanned aerial–refueling system.

The technology refresh will increase computing power, providing the unmanned aerial tanker with an “integrated solution that improves aircraft performance and allows for future capability growth,” BAE said in its announcement.

Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of UK–based BAE Systems plc, a global defense, security, and aerospace company.

BAE Systems’ next-generation VMSC controls all flight surfaces and performs overall vehicle–management duties for the autonomous MQ-25. The MQ-25 is the Navy’s first operational carrier-based, unmanned aircraft, and is designed to provide an aerial–refueling capability.

It also aims to relieve the refueling–mission workload for F/A-18 aircraft, allowing them to take on other mission roles, increasing the fleet’s capacity.

“BAE Systems is a leader in flight-critical systems and solutions,” Corin Beck, senior director of military aircraft systems for controls and avionics solutions at BAE Systems, said in a release. “Our upgraded VMSC for the MQ-25 will deliver advanced functionality — enabling this platform to execute today and tomorrow’s critical missions, while also reducing the amount of hardware required on the aircraft through consolidation into this computer.”

The VMSC upgrade will use quad-core processors to increase computing power while optimizing size, weight, and power footprint on the aircraft. The multi-core processor selected for the MQ-25 VMSC has recently completed qualification on another U.S. military platform “thereby reducing cost, schedule, and integration risk for this program.”

The company says it has more than 40 years of experience developing and integrating flight–control technology for military and commercial platforms. Work on the VMSC occurs at BAE Systems’ engineering and manufacturing facility in Endicott.