British Army drone operators gain expertise
The Stalker drone, pictured above, is designed to combine the flexibility of a portable system with the endurance and payload performance of a larger, more costly vehicle. (Photo: British Army)
The contract, a part of Project Tiquila, outlines the delivery of 15 rotary-wing Indago 4 devices and 99 fixed-wing Stalker VXE30 drones from Lockheed Martin to the British Army. These UAVs will provide imaging and surveillance capabilities.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the contract is valued at £129 million with a timeline of ten years.
Inzpire will supply training needs analysis, training design and training delivery services to British Army UAS instructors to ensure the devices are integrated effectively.
The company’s experts will deliver theoretical and live training content, and design a tailored training package that is continuously evolving to support the lifecycle of new capabilities.
The fixed-wing Stalker drone weighs over 20kg and has a 4.88m wingspan. It provides over eight hours of imaging capability and is able to cover around 60mi.
The rotary-wing Indago 4 is foldable and weighs less than 2.5kg. It can be carried in a soldier’s backpack and deployed in just two minutes with a range of eight miles.
While this is the first time Inzpire will provide training services to the British Army, the company has previously provided training to RAF RPAS crews.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts
The Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme is a transnational effort across NATO to replace a range of helicopters which are expected to begin retiring from the mid-2030s.
-
Raytheon strikes deal with new rocket motor maker to secure supply chain
Raytheon has seen increased demand for its missiles in the face of the Russia-Ukraine war where Kyiv has been using air-to-air missiles for ground-based air-defence.
-
European Common Radar System Mk2 begins ground-testing in UK
BAE Systems hopes to work out any issues before the radar is sent for flight testing.
-
Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker
The KC-46A upgrades will improve the platform’s mission readiness, performance in challenged airspace and rapid deployment capabilities.
-
Teledyne FLIR promotes ITAR-free Star SAFIRE imaging payload at FIA
The Ultraforce 380-HDc, launched at Farnborough International Airshow, builds on Teledyne FLIR’s successful Star SAFIRE family of systems and is aimed at both the military and security markets.
-
Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough
The two nations will split the acquisition of the C-390s to boost their airlift capacities.