The motto of the flying demonstrations last month for the STUAS/Tier 2 contract bidders seemed to be: What happened in Yuma stays in Yuma.
We don't know what happened when the four bidders for the US Navy and Marine Corps contract traveled to the Arizona UAV range to show that their aircraft actually does what they say it can do in their proposals.
Not surprisingly, there have been a lot of rumors.
In a press conference today at the AUVSI convention, AAI Corp VP Steve Flach became the first to go public with his understanding of what happened at the secretive Yuma event.
Also not surprisingsly, according to his version of the story, the Aerosonde Mk 4.7 was the only aircraft to complete the two-day flight trials without a mishap. Not that the USN or USMC program office has told him officially, of course.
But "that's the rumor mill," he says. "We probably did the best at the demo from all of our competition."
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