Cobra cleared for flight

has received Experimental Airworthiness Certificates from the

for three of its Cobra Unmanned Aircraft Systems, bringing the certified Cobra fleet total to five.

The Experimental Airworthiness Certificates allow Raytheon's flight operations to continue in compliance with recently published FAA policy on unmanned aircraft operations in the National Airspace System.

Raytheon says Cobra is a low-cost unmanned system designed to support the company’s development, integration and test of unmanned systems technologies. The aircraft has a wingspan of 10 feet and is 9-feet long.

The certification permits Cobra flight operations in a specified section of the National Airspace in Southeastern Arizona. It also authorises Raytheon to conduct research and development, crew training and market surveys using the Cobra system.

The Cobra Unmanned Aircraft System integrates advanced systems and capabilities from several Raytheon businesses, including Tucson-based Missile Systems; Intelligence and Information Systems (IIS), based in Garland, Texas; Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo, California; and McKinney, Texas-based Network Centric Systems.

The Cobra test bed will be used to support the development, test and demonstration of sensor systems; networked command, control and communications systems; and unmanned aircraft system architectural concepts.