NTS Announces Contract to Design and Manufacture Payload Pods for UAVs

National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS), the leading independent provider of environmental simulation testing, inspection and certification solutions in the United States, announced today that its Engineering Services Group has signed a $1.4 million contract to design and build a series of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) payload pods for Logos Technologies of Fairfax, Virginia under an AFRL/RI-sponsored contract. Called the Mission Payload Pod, MP-2, the lightweight payload pods are designed to support a 25-pound payload capacity per wing of the UAV.

NTS has extensive experience creating payload pods for the UAV industry and NTS pods have flown on large and small UAVs and will soon fly on another small UAV. The MP-2 has been designed to accommodate a wide variety of payloads and heat loads to satisfy changing mission requirements in the field. NTS test laboratories document compliance with all vibration, shock, environmental and EMI requirements.

Design variants of the new MP-2 pod will satisfy the SWAP (size, weight and power) requirements for a wide range of applications, noted Belinda Guernsey, NTS Mechanical Engineering Manager. “NTS is committed to be a leader in the international UAV marketplace,” Belinda Guernsey said. “We have many years of experience in the design and manufacture of light-weight payload pods and aero structures in addition to the nation’s largest network of test laboratories. Our complete set of capabilities ensures a rapid time-to-market or time-to-mission solution.”

The MP-2 common pod is designed for conformance with MIL-STD-810G and ANSI/IEC 60529 (IP65) standards. The MP-2 is designed and manufactured in keeping with NTS’s Corporate Quality Manual and incorporates MIL-STD-1916 Acceptance Sampling procedures.

For more information on the MP-2 or other payload pod designs, call John Derrig at 505 235.0089. NTS is attending the AUVSI conference this week in Orlando, Fla, Booth #243.