Haye KestelooThe Indago 3 drone from Lockheed Martin has been selected by the Swiss Army for tactical reconnaissance and surveillance. The contract includes unmanned aircraft as well as spares, training, technological support, and additional systems.
Indago 3 drone from Lockheed Martin selected by Swiss Army
Lockheed Martin Corp. announces that the Swiss Army has selected the Indago 3 small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for tactical reconnaissance and surveillance.
Defence Blog reports that Armasuisse contracted Lockheed Martin for a fleet of Indago 3 UAS, with options for spares, training, and tech support and additional systems for the Swiss Army, according to a company news release.
The Indago 3 quadcopter provides aerial reconnaissance in environments unreachable by normal fixed-wing, unmanned aircraft systems. The first phase of the production aims to optimize the Indago 3’s configuration to meet Swiss Army requirements, which include:
- Integration of a transponder for sense and avoid;
- Installation of the Silvus Technologies’ radio; and
- Implementation of Lockheed Martin CDL Systems’ VCSi Touch SUAS Ground Control System software that includes access to Swiss maps, including digital terrain elevation data (DTED), and Geofencing.
The first deliveries to Switzerland will take place later this year with the remaining systems to be delivered several months following the first delivery.
The Indago 3 drones will be used to support tactical level reconnaissance and surveillance to support information collection, search and rescue, disaster relief, and battle damage assessment.
“Indago 3 is uniquely qualified to support the Swiss Army’s mission needs,” said Steve Fortson, UAS Portfolio manager at Lockheed Martin. “Indagos operate very quietly from relatively low altitude and provide high fidelity sensor imagery. They are simple to use and require minimal training so soldiers can quickly execute their mission. The Silvus Technologies radios also deliver best-in-class performance and efficiency in a miniature package. They’re ideal for use in portable and embedded applications where size, weight, power and cost are key.”
Lockheed Martin says that depending on payloads and operating environment, the Indago 3 has a flight time of up to 50 minutes, a range of 10 kilometers, a cruise speed of 25 knots. The quadcopter has an operating temperature range from 30-degrees below zero to as high as 120-degrees Fahrenheit. The Indago 3 is cyber-secure with high fidelity color and infrared 3-axis stabilized sensors – and at approximately 5 lbs., Indago can be easily transported by a single backpack and deployed in less than three minutes.
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