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Henry Finneral, Senior VP & General Manager“We are a company that thrives on innovation, with introducing new capabilities and exceeding customer expectations at the core of our business,” says Henry Finneral, SVP and General Manager of Textron Systems’ Marine & Land Systems business line. “We optimize mobility, lethality, and protection in our combat vehicles to ensure the full capability of troops, operators, and crew as they execute their mission in a safe and survivable platform.” Additionally, a key aspect of Textron Systems’ value delivery is its post-delivery support, including training, logistics, upgrades, and field service.
For on-land use, Textron Systems builds a highly protected and mobile combat vehicle known as COMMANDO.
On the marine side, Textron Systems’ Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) provides an efficient solution to transport personnel and heavy equipment directly to over 80% of the world’s shorelines and also meets the Marine Corps’ requirements for increased payload and availability. The SSC is an updated version of the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)—a marine hovercraft that delivers combat vehicles and troops from the ship to the shore. Textron Systems also provides the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle(CUSV®), an unmanned craft used for minesweeping and other mission sets. For aerial situational awareness, Textron Systems’ Shadow and Aerosonde are highly reliable and capable unmanned aircraft systems.
Textron Systems’ vehicles include state-of-the-art design in mobility, lethality, and survivability. “Our vehicles are designed to provide full-spectrum protection against enemy fires and improvised explosive devices (IED),” Finneral elaborates. Additionally, Textron Systems utilizes advanced modeling and simulation in combination with ballistic and blast testing to ensure combat vehicles meet or exceed our customer requirements.
It was the early 2000s when the Colombian Army (COLAR) witnessed extreme violence from drug cartels and guerilla factions. The country had experienced a prolonged period of armed conflict in its hemisphere. Undoubtedly, the Colombian military had to be prepared at all times for asymmetric warfare from the sea coast to the inland border. Textron Systems provided COLAR with armored wheeled vehicles to fulfill their requirements that included survivability against nonconventional combatants, lethality to combat enemies while protecting passengers within, and flexibility to accommodate Colombia’s geodiversity.
With a growing clientele across the defense space, Textron Systems aims to leverage autonomous and unmanned technologies. The company’s goal is to defend, protect, and support global customers through continuous evolution.
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Company
Textron Systems
Management
Henry Finneral, Senior VP & General Manager and
Lisa Atherton, President & CEO
Description
For more than 50 years, Textron Systems has been supporting the U.S. Department of Defense and defense agencies of several foreign countries with its aerospace and defense design, development, manufacturing, and sustainment services. Textron Systems provides combat-tested multi-domain military vehicles, leaning forward with innovative solutions, particularly in the areas of unmanned and autonomous capabilities for use in the most dangerous and hostile environments. Whether it is land, sea, or air, Textron Systems’ combat vehicles are purpose-built for specific requirements and include the latest technologies in the market to ensure maximum performance
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In the last ten years, significant progress has occurred in uncrewed aircraft technology within the aerospace industry. Given the increasing need for safer and more efficient aerial systems, organizations have been leveraging their knowledge to drive innovation beyond limits. We have been at the forefront of this endeavor, showcasing our groundbreaking technologies, unwavering commitment to safety, and a forward-looking vision.
Our Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) portfolio comprises transformative solutions designed for military applications, offering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities for both terrestrial and maritime operations. Thanks to our dedicated research and development team, the engineers at Textron Systems consistently explore the outer bounds of what can be achieved.
“Being a part of the Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System (FTUAS) from the early stages and understanding how those requirements are transitioning and changing from the systems we have today, to the systems of tomorrow, and being able to be part of the group that is setting the next generation of those products is important to me,” said Chris, Vice President of Engineering.
Our team boasts diverse backgrounds, spanning a broad spectrum of expertise, including firefighting, aerospace engineering, and various other fields. This diversity equips our team members with a wide range of skillsets and knowledge, which they can apply to enhance the capabilities of the FTUAS. Additionally, a significant number of our team members have prior military experience, offering valuable firsthand insights into using our technology in real-world operational scenarios.
“I’m a retired Sgt. 1st Class in the Army, 21 years,” said George, Senior Aviation Safety Tech. “A majority of my career was manned aviation. I was the avionics mechanic, working on all the Army helicopters. I reclassed in 2006 to Shadow, I was a Shadow Operator, and I retired in 2011.”
Phil, who holds the position of Engineering Manager, brings with him five years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, during which he worked as a UAV Maintainer, specializing in Textron Systems' Pioneer and Shadow® UAS platforms. In his present capacity, Phil is dedicated to a customer-centric approach, collaborating closely with soldiers to ensure their input is valued and that we align our efforts with customer preferences.
The practical experience of individuals like George and Phil, among others, plays a pivotal role in guaranteeing that we deliver the necessary technologies to support our customers' missions and safeguard their safety.
“FTUAS will put the capability in the soldiers’ hands to be able to vertically take off and land.” Phil said. “It will get the brigade combat team to do what the brigade combat team is supposed to be doing and go in, survey in the area, look for the bad guy and get back out very quickly.”
Fundamentally, our team merges the knowledge and accomplishments gained from working on the Aerosonde® UAS with the insights acquired from experiences with the Shadow system. This collaborative effort aims to develop a system that effectively supports the Army warfighter and aligns with their mission requirements.
“We’re touching the entirety of the system and the modular characteristics of it,” said Will, Systems Engineer. “What we’re able to do is take the backbone of the Aerosonde, which I love as a baseline, and then add on all these unique features and grow in ways that we haven’t been able to before.”
We remain committed to surpassing limitations, driving innovation, and taking the forefront in the field of unmanned aircraft systems. Our sustained commitment to investing in research and development is geared towards transforming the manner in which our customers leverage aerial platforms, bringing about revolutionary changes in their capabilities and applications.