Australia looks for more sting in its Wasp replacement
Project Land 129 Phase 4B will find a replacement for the Wasp AE SUAS being used by the Australian Army. (Photo: Gordon Arthur)
The Australian Army wants to introduce a new small UAV within the next 2-3 years.
In July the Capability Acquisition & Sustainment Group (CASG) in Australia gave advance notice for a programme to replace the AeroVironment Wasp AE small unmanned aerial system (SUAS) that is currently in Australian Army service.
The replacement exercise known as Project Land 129 Phase 4B will give army combat teams an independent ISR capability. The new SUAS is to be acquired in FY2023-2024 and FY2025-2026, with around 60-80 systems required depending on cost.
Project Land 129 Phase 4A acquired 66 Wasp AE systems from 2018-2021, but in its notice from CASG stated that the army ‘is expecting a system with
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