General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, manufacturer of the Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, announced the availability of a new trailing arm design for the Reaper’s main landing gear. The company is currently in contract talks with the Air Force to retrofit the existing fleet with the arm, company spokeswoman Kimberly Kasitz told the Daily Report. The new gear is one of several features that the company is including in the Reaper Block 5 configuration. Among it benefits, the arm design enables a 30-percent increase in landing-weight capacity, has a maintenance-free shock absorber, and provides provisions for automatic takeoff and landing capability and for anti-lock brake system upgrades. The new gear underwent full qualification, fatigue, and flight testing in January 2011. Kasitz said any new MQ-9s would be delivered with the new gear installed after production cut-in.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.