The 5th Generation Aerial Target (5GAT) drone completed engine run testing on Jan. 10th with Sierra Technical Services (STS), the company announced on Tuesday. The Demonstrator First Flight is scheduled for later this year.
“This is a major step forward to providing our warfighters an attritable, low-cost, high-performance, full-scale, 5th Generation Aerial Target that can be also be used by the Department of Defense (DoD) for other emerging projects," said Roger Hayes, president and CEO of STS.
The 5GAT drone is a high-performance, unmanned, fighter-size aircraft that will be utilized for Air-to-Air and Surface-To-Air weapons evaluation, pilot training and ground forces training when translated into production as the Next Generation Aerial Target (NGAT). The drone is intended to counter multifaceted potential threats in an aerial combat situation.
STS was awarded a position on a contract from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (OSD/DOT&E) to design, manufacture, assemble, integrate and ground/flight test the 5GAT Demonstrator as well as subject matter expertise during the design process. The contract was administered by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
About Sierra Technical Services, Inc.
Sierra Technical Services, Inc. (STS) is a Woman-Owned Small Business registered as an "S" Corp in the state of California. STS is located at the Tehachapi Airport in Tehachapi, CA. STS is a design, manufacturing, assembly and testing company that specializes in unmanned aerial vehicles and aerospace low-cost composites design and fabrication.
STS was founded in 2006 to provide innovative aerospace engineering and manufacturing capabilities that meet the "prototype to rapid introduction to the market" cycle and maintain low cost products and services that exceeds our growing government and industry client base demands.
