Hood River, OR, United States, March 14, 2014 -- As part of the UAV system, Hood Tech's Mark 4 UAV launcher will initiate the test flights of the Blackjack RQ-21A for the Marines at Twentynine Palms.

Press Release
From: Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date: March 13, 2014
Subject: New Mark 4 Launcher Paired with Blackjack RQ-21A for Operational Testing
Contact: Cory Roeseler, Hood Tech Corp Mechanical, Inc., 541 387-2255, [email protected]

According to Aerospace Manufacturing and Design (http://www.onlineamd.com/amd0314-aerospace-latest-news.aspx), the Marine Corps’ new Blackjack RQ-21A is undergoing operational tests at Twentynine Palms, which means that Hood Tech’s proven Mark 4 launcher, an integral part of the UAV system, also will participate. The ground and shipboard testing process will continue for the next several months. “We are confident the Marines will like using our Mark 4, both on land and shipboard,” said a Hood Tech representative.

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:
Andy von Flotow
Hood Tech
1750 Country Club Rd.
Hood River, OR 97031
5413872288
[email protected]
http://www.hoodtech.com