Sandstorm Maiden Flight in Oklahoma
Representatives from the Lawton Chamber of Commerce and Industry joined government officials to venture far west of Lawton to see the first public demonstration of the Sandstorm unmanned aircraft. Built by Unmanned Systems Inc. of Las Vegas, it is being marketed by Northrop Grumman as an inexpensive alternative to more expensive systems, one it says could save taxpayers money and improve the skills of pilots.
The demonstration took place at the Oklahoma Training Center for Unmanned Systems west of Lawton and adjacent to Fort Sill. The 80-acre site, with two paved landing strips and one unimproved strip, is a venture of the Oklahoma State University Multispectral Laboratory, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to bringing together industry, defence agencies and academia to promote promising technologies.
"We were very proud of being selected by Northrop Grumman to facilitate a one-of-a-kind demonstration," said retired Maj. Gen. Toney Stricklin, president of Heartland Defense Industries, which operates the Comanche County site for the lab.
Unmanned aircraft began flying at the site 21 months ago, Stricklin said, and several different types have flown there for projects for the government and for contractors testing equipment for the government.
Northrop Grumman hopes to station a number of Sandstorm aircraft at the site. Karl Purdy, manager of new unmanned aircraft systems for the corporation, said the company would have at least three people on site, plus one pilot for each additional aircraft.
No one has to convince Purdy that the Comanche County airport is the place to be. "I'm telling you, you couldn't ask for a better location," he told Fourth District U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, who was among the group watching Friday's flights.
Purdy also is convinced that the Sandstorm is just what the market is looking for. One advantage is that it's inexpensive, at least for what it does. Purdy said the Department of Defense could buy 100 Sandstorms for what one Predator drone costs, yet the Sandstorm can successfully emulate a Predator for training.
Source: The Lawton Constitution
