Royal Navy: Drones delivered in trail by Royal Navy
The Royal has pushed two different drones to their limits to show how they could be used on front-line operations.
(Picture: Royal Navy)
The navy’s drone experts 700X Naval Air Squadron welcomed industry partners to their home base of RNAS Culdrose to test the two crewless aircraft.
It is the second time the drones have been trialled with initial testing last year the first step of showing how they could be utilised on operations.
Now, a second, more intense series of trials have taken place and both the Malloy Aeronautics T-600 quadcopter and W Autonomous Systems’ HCMC drone proved their abilities to carry heavy payloads of 100kg over long distance and more than 250kg over a shorter distance.
The Heavy Lift Challenge is a collaboration between 700X, the navy’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer and Defence Equipment and Support’s (DE&S) Future Capability Group.
It aims to encourage industry partners to see what equipment they have which could be adapted for use by the Royal Navy to deliver supplies such as humanitarian stores, first aid, ammunition and spare parts to the front-line. Both Malloy and W Autonomous Systems were given a £300,000 contract to further develop their drones.
And the aircraft impressed in the most recent trials which saw the Malloy T-600 fly with a 250kg payload while the fixed-wing W Autonomous Systems HCMC dropped a 100kg payload 1,000km away to a platform replicating a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier flight deck. It was able to slow on approach and drop its package with pinpoint accuracy.
(Picture: Royal Navy)
Read the full article here: Drones deliver in trials by Royal Navy (mod.uk)
Note to editor:
W Autonomous Systems is part of the Windracers Group. W Autonomous Systems utilises the Windracers unique platform to deliver defence logistics such as this Heavy Lift Challenge demonstration.
For more information, please get in touch: info@wautonomoussystems.org or visit Windracers website Windracers autonomous drones