Australian defence technology company XTEK has teamed up with California-based small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) supplier AeroVironment and two other Australian companies, Sentient Vision Systems in Melbourne and General Dynamics Mediaware in Canberra, to offer the Wasp AE Micro Air Vehicle to the Australian Army and Special Forces.
XTEK has been selected as the preferred tenderer for the LAND 129 Phase 4 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle project, which is seeking to acquire a UAS for Army to use at the battlegroup level.
XTEK, Sentient and General Dynamics Mediaware will add value to the capability to be provided, and to the Australian industry content, through the supply and integration of imagery exploitation and movement detection systems, according to XTEK.
XTEK itself will maintain the UAS and provide through-life support for the fleet at facilities in Canberra and South Australia.
A Wasp AE system consists of two air vehicles and one ground control system. With a 74cm wing span, the 1.3 kg micro air vehicle is designed for ground and water landings, making it suitable for both land and maritime missions.
