Drone Aviation upgrades US Army’s WASP aerostat
Drone Aviation has commenced the communications upgrade on the US Army’s Winch Aerostat Small Platform (WASP) tactical aerostat.
The WASP upgrade is designed to maximise payload flexibility and follows several customer-requested capability enhancements to incorporate advanced secure communications and ISR capabilities, following deployment with Department of Defense forces.
The WASP’s ability to incorporate the latest in secure communications and ISR equipment is enabled by its modular payload integration system, which allows operators to hot swap payloads in theatre to meet evolving mission requirements.
The WASP is a tactical and mobile aerostat system which provides day/night video, secure multi-frequency and multi-wave form wireless communication range extension capability in the battlefield either from a stationary position or while being towed.
Operating at altitudes of up to 1,500ft above ground level, the WASP system can significantly extend ISR capabilities and secure communications in remote and austere locations. The soldier-operated systems can be rapidly configured to support a variety of mission requirements for days, weeks or months with customised payloads.
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