Hood Techs New Mark 4 Launches RQ-21A UAV Hood Techs new Mark 4 launcher joins the new

RQ-21A small tactical unmanned aircr aft system (STUAS) in sea trials for the US Navy. Hood River, OR, USA, April 03, 2013 -- According to a posting of an announcement by the US Navy, accompanied by photographs (http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cf m?fuseaction=home.NAVAIRNewsStory&id=5262), the new small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS) RQ-21A completed its first ship-based flight on February 10, 2013 . The final photo in the posting features Hood Techs Mark 4 launcher in its first run at sea, on the LPD-class USS Mesa Verde in the Gulf of Mexico. Were delighted to be supporting the RQ-21A and through it the US Navy, said Cory Roeseler, Chie f Engineer for Hood Tech Corp. Mechanical, Inc. We believe the Navy will be wellserved by the RQ-21A, and we have increased the capabilities of our launcher lin e to improve the capacity, power, and speed of launches. When in 2002 Hood Tech began producing UAV launchers and innovative retrieval sy stems for small UAVs, those innovations enabled the elimination of runways for l aunch and retrieval. This freed aircraft for shipboard use, for deployment in ir regular or disrupted landscapes, and for other difficult locations. Showing thei r ruggedness and reliability, Hood Tech launchers have initiated tens of thousan ds of flights under the extreme environments of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan a nd aboard ships in the oceans around the globe. Dr. Andy von Flotow founded Hood Technology in Hood River, Oregon in 1992. In ad dition to the design and manufacture of launch systems, Hood Technology: Provides zip test services for pre-flight safety verification of experimental ai rcraft and components. Owns and maintains a silent wind tunnel for measuring UAV engine and prop noise in accordance with MILSTD1474. Develops, tests, and manufactures stabilized imaging systems for a variety of UA Vs Monitors blade vibrations in industrial turbines and jet engines, a diagnostic m ethod for predicting possible future failures. The Hood Tech web site is: www.hoodtech.com Contact: Cory Roeseler Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc. Hood River, OR 541 387-2255 cory@hoodtech.com http://www.hoodtech.com/