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Navy orders six Blackjack drones

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U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mark W. Freas, an unmanned aerial vehicle maintainer assigned to Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2, performs a preflight check on an RQ-21A Blackjack prior to a training flight at Marine Corps Outlying Field Atlantic Field on July 1, 2015. The training flight was conducted to ensure the safety and stability of the small unmanned aircraft system. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Koby I. Saunders/Released)

The Navy has awarded Insitu a $71.6 million contract for six RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aircraft.

The contract, for six low-rate initial production Lot V Blackjacks, includes the unmanned aerial vehicles, ground control stations, launch and recovery equipment, shipboard equipment kits, and systems engineering and program management, according to the Department of Defense contract announcement.

The contract, awarded by Naval Air Systems Command, is scheduled to be completed by October 2017.

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Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him at theuncommondefense.com. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.