The U.S. Army chose the advanced vertical take-off V-BAT UAS developed by Northrop Grumman and Shield AI to find a replacement for the venerable RQ-7B Shadow for the Army’s future tactical unmanned aerial system ( FTUAS) entered the Increment 2 competition. tactical drone.
First flown in 1991, the RQ-7B Shadow has amassed an impressive operational record since entering service in 2001. The US Army wants a simpler, more effective alternative.
One of the official candidates is an enhanced version of the V-BAT drone platform developed by Martin UAV, which will complete flight testing in 2021. Unlike Shadow, V-BAT is designed to be transported and operated by his team of two soldiers. Off and landing rests on the tail, flies level and is equipped with a ducted fan to improve performance and protect the operator from exposed blades.
Northrop Grumman
The V-BAT can stay in the air for 8 hours, plus 1 hour of fuel. Its modular system enables a variety of advanced surveillance and electronic warfare (EW) payloads for persistent reconnaissance to support U.S. Army Brigade Combat Teams, Special Forces, and Ranger battalions. These modules include electro-optical/infrared, synthetic aperture radar, and EW systems.
During the Increment 2 phase of the U.S. Army Games, the Northrop team is expected to spend seven weeks defining and integrating V-BAT’s modular open system architecture.
“Our team’s enhanced V-BAT embodies more than 30 years of experience designing, delivering and maintaining advanced unmanned aerial systems, combined with a field-proven platform and production facility. Grumman: “We bring a unique perspective and capability to this important Army mission.”
Source: Northrop Grumman
