That aircraft – the first full-scale TR918 TRUV – was written-off in an April 5th crash after only five hours total flight time, due to an errant RF signal from the ground which trigged its self-destruct mode. The TR918 will be offered for military, paramilitary and civil apps. The TR916 is the version being developed for the Coast Guard under the Deepwater program, though this effort has now been delayed by at least three years due to funding issues, meaning that EIS is pushed back to FY-11 (vs. an original FUE date of 2006). The Marine Corps were also planning to buy some aircraft from the Guard’s line, but this plan now seems to have been dropped in favor of a competitive selection of a Pioneer replacement in the 2008-10 timeline.
The Eagle Eye concept has been flying since 1993, when the 85% scale TR911 prototype first flew. This aircraft was itself preceded by the Bell-Boeing D-340 Pointer TRUV, flown in 1993.
I/C