WASHINGTON The Pentagon has designated its new Tier 2-plus High-Altitude Endurance unmanned aerial vehicle development program as an experiment in progressive defense system acquisition that gives contractors extraordinary flexibility and latitude.

TEL AVIV Israel Aircraft Industries, which along with its partner TRW formally delivered the first production Hunter joint tactical unmanned aerial vehicle to the U.S. military last week, is testing several prototype designs for a smaller version to meet the U.S. requirement for a close-range UAV.