Wins first production contract for T-HawkT micro air vehicle.

Honeywell has received a $65 million (Rs 306 crore) production contract for its Micro Air Vehicle, the THawkT. The agreement is for 90 THawkT systems, each consisting of two T-HawkT vehicles and one ground control unit, spares, training for operators and maintainers, and field support. Hardware deliveries of the 90 systems will begin in the second quarter of 2009 and conclude in December 2009.

Each T-HawkT is small enough to carry in a backpack and is equipped with video cameras that relay information back to foot soldiers using a portable handheld terminal. The circular vehicle, weighing 17 lbs and measuring 14 inches in diameter, can easily fly down to inspect hazardous areas for threats without exposing warfighters to enemy fire. Honeywell’s T-HawkT also has the unique ability to take off and land vertically from complex desert and urban terrains without using runways or helipads.