Enhanced V-Bat spreads its wings
V-Bat in flight. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
V-Bat small UAS demonstrates GPS-denied navigation and target designation capabilities.
Northrop Grumman and Martin UAV have completed successful flight testing of a V-Bat UAS with new features including GPS-denied navigation and target designation capabilities.
The tests at Camp Grafton in North Dakota were carried out as part of the two companies’ offering under the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) programme, in which the US Army seeks a rapidly deployable, expeditionary VTOL system capable of persistent aerial reconnaissance for Brigade Combat Teams, SOF, and Ranger battalions.
The FTUAS solution must also be capable of operations in contested EW environments. It will replace the RQ-7B Shadow.
Kenn Todorov, Northrop Grumman senior VP and general manager for global sustainment and modernisation, described V-Bat as offering ‘a near-zero footprint’, flexible VTOL capability ‘that is based on a platform deployed operationally today’.
Rivals to V-Bat for the FTUAS requirement include the Arcturus Jump 20, the Textron Aerosonde HQ and the L3Harris FVR-90.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![A new shape in the sky? Mapping out the F-47’s configuration]()
A new shape in the sky? Mapping out the F-47’s configuration
As images of what might be an F-47 prototype or proof-of-concept vehicle emerge from the Nevada desert, what do they tell us about the aircraft’s capabilities and enabling technologies?
-
![Latin American fixed-wing capability gaps create openings for industry competition]()
Latin American fixed-wing capability gaps create openings for industry competition
Transport and tanker aircraft represent a growing opportunity in Latin America as countries in the region increasingly look to replace ageing fleets and reduce dependence on second-hand platforms.
-
![US Air Force seeks additional suppliers of bunker bomb warheads]()
US Air Force seeks additional suppliers of bunker bomb warheads
The USAF plans to award up to four contracts to expand production of large penetrator warhead case assemblies supporting the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator and future GBU-76 Next-Generation Penetrator.
