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US Army officials have identified a gap for a battalion-level unmanned aircraft system that could be addressed by platforms such as the Boeing/Insitu Scan Eagle or AAI Aerosonde.

In the interim, the army is fielding a family of Wasp, Puma and Raven micro-unmanned systems - all made by Aerovironment - for platoon- and company-level operations and an extended-range version of the AAI RQ-7C Shadow for brigades.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 7, 2009) -- The Army trained more than 1,400 Soldiers, Marines and civilians to fly unmanned aircraft systems in 2009, and expects to train more than 2,300 in 2010. A group of aviators at the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting Tuesday discussed the use of unmanned aircraft systems for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

EDGEWOOD, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Smiths Detection today announces the successful creation and demonstration of an unmanned aircraft chemical detection and identification system capable of warning troops against chemical warfare agents. The detection and identification system, able to fit in the interchangeable nose cone of a Raven® UAV, is a result of the collaborative efforts between Smiths Detection, AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) (Nasdaq: AVAV), the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center and other U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) laboratories.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The Scandinavian countries are in an arms deal frenzy: While Sweden is in negotiations to sell fighter jets to Brazil, Denmark is looking to buy a host of weapons systems to boost its troops in Afghanistan.

DUGWAY - The U.S. Army's unmanned aircraft effort officially stepped out of its infancy Wednesday with the opening of a new center that will pool resources and brainpower. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office Rapid Integration and Acceptance Center's mission is to develop more, better, faster deployments of the remotely controlled surveillance and communication relay vehicles. Both Army brass and ground troops say the aircraft are the best thing next to their gun and helmet to have on the battlefield. View Dugway UAS Video Footage

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq may slow sales of some unmanned aerial vehicles after years of exponential growth, but demand from civilian agencies and foreign countries will underpin the market for years to come, industry and defense officials said on Tuesday.