The Navy is expanding its fleet of Blackjack unmanned aerial systems, small rail-launched aircraft used by the Navy and Marines for ISR (intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance) on land and sea. The service has awarded Insitu a $71.5 million contract for six low-rate initial production Lot V RQ-21A Blackjacks that also covers ground control stations, launch and recovery equipment, shipboard equipment kits, and systems engineering and program management, according to a Defense Department announcement. The Navy and Marines have been using Blackjacks since 2011 and last July modified an earlier contract to obtain a half-dozen more of the aircraft.
