Las Vegas—Lockheed Martin [LMT] has unveiled a small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft system designed to provide aerial surveillance in cluttered urban environments, the company said yesterday.
The five pound, quad rotor hovercraft was developed by Procerus Technologies, a small Utah-based firm Lockheed Martin acquired in January. The aircraft was unveiled at the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) conference here.
The aircraft is meant for use in environments unsuitable for fixed wing aircraft. Its gimbal mount includes electro-optical and infrared sensors and a laser to provide 360-degree panning capability for “perch and stare” missions.
“We are leveraging years of experience in building small, innovative avionics and payload technologies to develop an affordable and efficient VTOL solution,” said Todd Titensor, senior manager of Lockheed Martin Procerus Technologies. “Our system is quiet, can operate day or night in challenging weather conditions and has longer operating time than other VTOL platforms.”
It features the Procerus Technologies-furnished Kestrel autopilot system. Lockheed Martin said it can be deployed in minutes and fly for up to 40 minutes. It includes a wireless hand controller and in a full ground control station configuration, its virtual cockpit features a 3-D map, mission planning tools, in-flight re-tasking and navigation.
Titensor said in an interview that Procerus is also looking at arming the VTOL system, which would use the same navigation systems to guide itself to targets. Titensor said it will also offer its new Perceptor gimbel for the hovercraft, whose name is still the subject of internal deliberation.
He said he expected the unit cost of the hovercraft to range from $25,000 to $50,000. He said the Army as well as civilian law enforcement have shown interest in the VTOL hovercraft.