May 6, 2009:
The Killerbee UAV has been renamed Bat, and is scaling up the original 43 pound, 6.5 wingspan model to others with wingspans up to 33.2 feet. The Bat is a unique design, using a blended wing (like the B-2 bomber). The Bat line is competing to snag the contract to be one of the standard Department of Defense UAV models.
Major defense manufacturer Raytheon recently bought the Bat line from the original developer, Swift Engineering. Raytheon believes that the Bat design has a shot at being a major player in the military UAV market, but its unique design has yet to demonstrate a decisive superiority over more conventional shapes (like the Predator).
