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.
More from Air Warfare
-
Airbus takes step towards autonomous refuelling with A310 MRTT demonstration
Airbus has demonstrated in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a UAV using an A310 MRTT tanker aircraft.
-
Bell makes move on FLRAA test lab construction despite ongoing Defiant protest
Bell Textron began laying the foundations for a new testing facility for its V-280 Valor helicopter despite protest over its US Army Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract win.