Funding for canister-launched UAS
Lockheed Martin has received US military funding to continue development of a maritime canister-launched small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS), the company announced on 3 November.
The funding is valued at $4.6 million.
The company is currently working on a re-configurable version of its collapsible wing Vector Hawk as part of work to develop an all-in-one man-packable solution. This will include a fixed-wing aircraft for standard and long endurance missions; a collapsible fixed-wing aircraft that can be launched from a tube from land or water; a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and a tilt-rotor enabling VTOL with transition to forward flight.
Vector Hawk is capable of autonomous flight and landing, and incorporates fail-safes to ensure it can safely return to the user or auto-land when situations such as loss of communications with the ground control station or low power occur.
Jay McConville, director of business development for unmanned solutions, Lockheed Martin, said: ‘We are extending our SUAS capabilities to tactical maritime users with the Vector Hawk’s innovative canister deployment and launch ability.’
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