Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract to provide Crowsnest airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) systems for the UK’s Royal Navy, announced on 16 January. The contract covers 10 Crowsnest systems with a contract value of $327 million. The UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin stated that Crowsnest would provide a vital intelligence, surveillance, and tracking system for the country’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Royal Navy will modify its Leonardo AW101 Merlin HM.2 helicopters to carry Crowsnests.
211216-N-QI061-1222 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (December 16, 2021) An MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), sits on the flight line at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Dec. 16, 2021. VUP-19, the Navy’s first Triton squadron, will continue to maintain and operate the aircraft off the East Coast to further develop the concept of operations and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan T. Beard/ Released)