Elbit Systems demonstrates UAV swarm capability to Dutch Army
THOR mini-VTOL operates with PROBOT UGV. (Photo: Elbit Systems)
Elbit Systems has demonstrated its Robotic Autonomous Systems (RAS) capabilities for ISR missions utilising heterogeneous autonomous swarms to the RAS Concept Development & Experimentation programme of the Royal Netherlands Army.
The demonstration deployed swarms comprising of the PROBOT UGV and two types of vertical takeoff and landing mini UAS (VTOL mini-UAS) including the THOR, all powered by the TORCH-X RAS software suite.
During capability demonstration, different robotic pairings operated as swarms autonomously performing three types of operational missions such as planning, navigating to predefined points, allocating sectors and the performance of various ISR tasks.
The first mission used the THOR VTOL mini-UAS swarm to dominate the area of interest and deployed the PROBOT UGV to complete the intelligence picture.
In a second mission scenario, two VTOL mini-UASs were dispatched to resupply front line forces.
The third mission was an airborne deployment of Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS) using two THOR VTOL mini-UASs quipped with sensor dispensers.
The demonstration highlighted the capability of the TORCH-X RAS powered solution to enable heterogeneous formations of unmanned platforms, of different makers.
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