Robonic Ltd of Tampere, Finland, said it has delivered an MC2555LLR launcher to the Finnish Defense Forces.
The system will be dual role, supporting the launch of aerial targets for the Finnish air force as well as launching the Finnish army’s Ranger TUAV-system. Robonic has previously provided all target and Ranger launchers for the Finnish Forces.
“The delivery of this launcher represents the first time a Robonic system has been optimized for dual role operations to meet differing user needs,” Juha Moisio, managing director of Robonic Ltd, said.
“One of the most significant features in our launcher is its large speed and mass envelope, with this readily adaptable in field conditions to enable swapping between various unmanned system types. “The system has also been designed for rapid deployment and rapid reload. One of the design criteria was that the launcher would fit into a 20 foot sea container and that it is air transportable.”
The development is anticipated to have a major impact on the evolving directions taken by the unmanned systems launcher market, Moisio said. “The decision to acquire such a system and lessons from its operation are likely to influence procurement priorities amongst a wide tier of defense forces seeking to field a number of different unmanned systems types but with budget restrictions remaining a major factor in acquisition decisions.”
Robonic is offering the same design concept and similar systems to other UAV and target systems manufacturers and suppliers.
The company has previously provided launchers to Sagem DS for the Canadian armed forces, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) and Meggitt DS for target purposes and is presently negotiating deliveries of several launchers to other international customers.
The Robonic MC2555LLR is also the chosen launcher for the U.K. CATS target program, with this track record demonstrating the ability of the launcher family to accommodate multiple customer requirements with widely different but equally stringent operational requirements.
Robonic is also working in close cooperation with Selex Galileo Avionica to develop a catapult launch capability for the Falco program. Cooperation efforts are also underway with EADS 3Sigma of Greece focusing on the requirements of its target drone family.