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for information contact:
Anita C. Infante, 940 691-0819
For Immediate Release - November 2009

Carter Signs UAS License Agreement with AAI

Wichita Falls, TX - Carter Aviation Technologies LLC (Carter) of Wichita Falls, TX is announcing that they have completed negotiations with AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, of Hunt Valley, MD on an exclusive licensing agreement for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) using Carter's revolutionary Slowed Rotor/Compound (SR/C) Aircraft Technology - a combination of rotorcraft and fixed-wing aerodynamics. The 40-year exclusive agreement covers all UAS programs worldwide.

According to Carter President, Jay Carter, Jr., "This is a turning point for Carter. As an R&D company we have been focused on developing and defining our technology and the systems that would enhance its capability. We now have a viable SR/C platform that has the ability to compete in both manned and unmanned sectors with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and high-speed flight, and a trusted partner in AAI. This partnership enables us to combine the unique capabilities of SR/C technology with AAI's unmanned expertise."

AAI is a respected provider of unmanned aircraft systems for customers including the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. Its platforms include Shadow® Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems, which have amassed more than 450,000 flight hours; the Aerosonde® fleet of expeditionary small unmanned aircraft systems; and AAI's One System® Ground Control Station and Remote Video Terminal for unmanned command and control, as well as manned/unmanned teaming.

Carter's hybrid technology combines the runway independence of rotorcraft with the cruise efficiency of fixed-wing designs. SR/C technology enables these capabilities by seamlessly transitioning lift between the rotor and the wing based on the specific phase of flight. Carter's SR/C design is a pure autogyro and currently incorporates 20 patents. In the latest, four-place, civil aircraft the empty weight is expected to be 2,200 lbs with a gross weight of 3,500 lbs. The unique rotor system will allow jump take-offs clearing 50-foot obstacles through its vertical takeoff capability. Equipped with a 350 HP twin turbo-charged engine, the performance numbers are impressive. At an altitude of 12,500 feet and max power, the aircraft has a projected speed of 223 mph and, with 500 lbs. of fuel, a range of 768 miles at this max power setting. Flying at best range speed, the aircraft will deliver a range extending to 1465 miles. Maximum speed of 250 mph is projected at 25,000 ft with a range of 879 miles at max power and 1510 miles at best range speed.

Leveraging SR/C technology and the civil four-place primary aircraft components, Carter and AAI have been evaluating a UAS design variant employing a turbine engine. At 7,250 lbs. gross weight, with 4,750 lbs. of useful load, the SR/C UAS is expected to deliver 3000 lbs of cargo to a range of over 1300 nm at speeds of 288 mph. Configured for multi-role UAS missions, the SR/C UAS is expected to deliver endurance in excess of 24 hrs.

All SR/C aircraft variants will be enhanced by incorporation of Carter's patented landing gear and propeller system. The Carter gear absorbs up to 24 ft/second on impact. Carter's highly swept, hollow blade, scimitar propeller design is very light, unusually quiet, more than 90% efficient and can, because of its wide cord, produce up to 30% more static thrust than a comparable stock propeller.

For More Information:     www.CarterAviationTechnologies.com

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Shadow is a registered trademark of AAI Corporation.
Aerosonde is a registered trademark of Aerosonde Pty Ltd.
One System is a registered trademark of the U.S. Army.

About AAI
AAI Corporation designs, produces, and supports aerospace and defense systems through its direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries, AAI Services Corporation, Aerosonde Pty Ltd, ESL Defence Limited, and Symtx, Inc. Its high-technology products and services include unmanned aircraft systems, training and simulation systems, automated aerospace test and maintenance equipment, armament systems, aviation ground support equipment, and logistical, engineering, and supply chain services. AAI Corporation is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.aaicorp.com.

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Chairman of the Board, Dr. Claudius Klimt, of Carter Aviation Technologies and Senior Vice President and General Manager, Ellen Lord, of AAI Corporation ratify a 40-year exclusive agreement between their companies. Under this licensing agreement, AAI leverages its decades of experience designing, developing, manufacturing, fielding and supporting unmanned aircraft systems with Carter's innovative Slowed Rotor/Compound hybrid aircraft technology. The companies intend to develop unmanned aircraft for multiple mission profiles using this technology.
Photo Credit: AAI Corporation

Carter's original technology demonstrator, the CCTD, was in flight-testing for seven (7) years. It flew from late 1998 through June of 2005 with more than 1,000 flight operations and close to 200 flight hours.
Photo Credit: EAA/Arnold Greenwell

Carter's CCTD became the first rotorcraft to break the µ-1* Barrier on June 17, 2005. (See below for an explanation of µ-1.)
Photo Credit: EAA/Arnold Greenwell

Jay Carter, Jr. is the President and CEO of Carter Aviation Technologies. Jay is the principle developer of Carter's revolutionary Slowed Rotor/Compound (SR/C) aircraft technology.
Photo Credit: Anita Infante

Carter's new, 4-place, Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) prototype was introduced to the public at EAA's AirVenture in August, 2009. The PAV airframe is the basis for the development of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for AAI's License.
Photo Credit: Anita Infante

Carter's PAV prototype will first fly as a pure autogyro without its two, 18-foot, wing extensions.
Photo Credit: Anita Infante

* Why µ-1 is important:
µ is the ratio of the forward speed of an aircraft to the tip speed of its rotor relative to the aircraft. Normal helicopters fly at a µ of approximately 0.3. This means that the rotor tip speed is roughly three times greater than the forward speed of the aircraft. In order to keep a rotor stable each blade has to provide the same amount of lift. In forward flight the retreating blade of the rotor moves in a direction opposite that of the aircraft. This results in less airspeed on that blade. Therefore, as the forward speed of the aircraft increases the airspeed on the retreating blade decreases. At a µ of 1 the forward speed of the aircraft and the tip speed of the retreating blade are equal, therefore, the air velocity at the tip of the retreating blade is zero and there is reversed airflow over the entire length of the blade. At this point the retreating blade can provide very little lift and because its airflow is reversed this blade and the rotor become very unstable. For this reason, sustained flight at µ-1 or higher was previously thought to be impossible. Carter technology should allow flight speeds up to a ratio of µ-5 (where the aircraft is traveling 5 times faster than the tip speed of the rotor).