First East Coast Flight of RQ-21A UAV Begins with New Hood Tech Launcher

July 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Hood River, Oregon, United States, July 19, 2013 -- The new HTL 4.1 launcher from Hood Technology recently shot the RQ-21A UAV into the air for its first East Coast flight.

From: Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date: July 18, 2013
Subject: First East Coast Flight of RQ-21A UAV Begins with New Hood Tech Mark 4 Launcher
Contact: Cory Roeseler, Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc., 541-387-2255, cory@hoodtech.com

The new Hood Tech HTL 4.1 Launcher recently put the RQ-21A in the air for the first time on the East Coast, according to a release from the US Marine Corps (http://www.hqmc.marines.mil/News/NewsArticleDisplay/tabid/3488/Article/145381/rq-21a-small-uas-completes-first-east-coast-flight.aspx). Hood Tech developed the HTL 4.1 to handle the heavier RQ-21A following widespread use of the company’s Superwedge launcher for a lighter UAV. “The HTL 4.1 represents natural evolution of our earlier launchers,” said Cory Roeseler, Hood Tech’s Chief Engineer for the launch program. The launcher and a complementary capture system eliminate the need for a runway, making the UAV ideal for shipboard and remote locations where runway access does not exist. The HTL 4.1 operates either with auxiliary power or plugged into a shipboard source to power its pneumatic (air) actuator.

When in 2002 Hood Tech began producing innovative UAV launchers and retrieval systems for small UAVs, those innovations enabled the elimination of runways for launch and retrieval. This freed aircraft for shipboard use, for deployment in irregular or disrupted landscapes, and for other difficult locations. Showing their ruggedness and reliability, Hood Tech launchers have initiated tens of thousands of flights under the extreme environments of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and aboard ships in the oceans around the globe.

Dr. Andy von Flotow founded Hood Technology in Hood River, Oregon in 1992. In addition to the design and manufacture of launch systems, Hood Technology:

Provides zip test services for pre-flight safety verification of experimental aircraft 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 UAVs
Monitors blade vibrations in industrial turbines and jet engines, a diagnostic method for predicting possible future failures.

The Hood Tech web site is:  www.hoodtech.com

Contact:
Cory Roeseler
Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc.
3100 Cascade
Hood River, OR 97031
541-387-2255
cory@hoodtech.com
http://www.hoodtech.com/