Two months in, and the war in Ukraine shows no signs of letting up. In fact, some could argue things are getting increasingly heated over there, with more and more weapons flowing in over the Russian border, but also from the West, which is doing its best to arm the defending country for the fight ahead.
The U.S. is one of the main weapons suppliers for Ukraine, and it is getting increasingly confident in sending over there weapons that up until now were considered off-limits, partly in the hopes of not enraging Russia even more. It was only at the end of last week, for instance, when we started hearing rumors about General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones eyed as a possible new tool of war for the Ukrainians.
This week, another defense contractor steps into the spotlight, and promises not a weapon for war, but one for reconnaissance. It’s AeroVironment we’re talking about, and the product is called Quantix.
The company is already present in Ukraine through contracts with the U.S. government, and has in the region the Switchblade systems. Now, however, it announced it is donating 100 Quantix drones for the needs of the Ukrainians.
The Quantix is a hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone. Once programmed to go about its business in one of three recon modes (Line, Area or Waypoint), it takes off, flies and lands on its own, needing no additional hardware to operate and not even an Internet connection.
The drone can fly for as much as 1.6 square km (0.6 square miles), or 20 linear km (12.4 miles), as long as the flight does not take more than 45 minutes, which is how much its battery lasts.
The Quantix can supply its operators with “high-resolution, georeferenced terrain, vegetation and infrastructure imagery,” and, most importantly, because it can run in radio frequency silent mode, is impervious to jamming technology.
AeroVironment says the drones will be delivered to Ukraine this week, and more will follow.
This week, another defense contractor steps into the spotlight, and promises not a weapon for war, but one for reconnaissance. It’s AeroVironment we’re talking about, and the product is called Quantix.
The company is already present in Ukraine through contracts with the U.S. government, and has in the region the Switchblade systems. Now, however, it announced it is donating 100 Quantix drones for the needs of the Ukrainians.
The Quantix is a hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone. Once programmed to go about its business in one of three recon modes (Line, Area or Waypoint), it takes off, flies and lands on its own, needing no additional hardware to operate and not even an Internet connection.
The drone can fly for as much as 1.6 square km (0.6 square miles), or 20 linear km (12.4 miles), as long as the flight does not take more than 45 minutes, which is how much its battery lasts.
The Quantix can supply its operators with “high-resolution, georeferenced terrain, vegetation and infrastructure imagery,” and, most importantly, because it can run in radio frequency silent mode, is impervious to jamming technology.
AeroVironment says the drones will be delivered to Ukraine this week, and more will follow.