Florida company wins $4.5 Million microdrone contract for US Army (Video)
Posted by: Jon Ben-Mayor on 11/29/2013 10:20 AM [ Comments ]
Where I live in upstate NY there is a drone command center located at the airport, which is about 1 mile from my house - I have seen and heard from time to time the very distinct sound and profile of a drone flying nearby. Even without the sound there is no mistaking the profile of a Reaper drone - they are large and look odd, thus very noticeable.
Prioria Robotics of Gainesville FL., has developed a microdrone that will be almost invisible to enemies on the ground due to the fact that it looks like a medium sized bird.
According to Wired, the company has been awarded a $4.5 million contract from the U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force to produce 36 'Maverics' for an urgent, but undisclosed, need.
Maveric weighs just 2.5 pounds and can be contained within a 6-inch tube. There’s no assembly required to prepare it for use, and it can be launched in less than 5 minutes by a single soldier. Once it reaches 100 meters, it’s silent to those on the ground. The battery’s only good for about an hour, but it takes just 30 seconds to swap a dead pack for a fresh one and have it ready to fly again. The drone is retrieved with a net.
The drone’s retractable gimbaled camera is flexible enough to capture footage from almost any angle, and it is said to be so good it can work in the most inclement weather.
I can almost see it now - there will be zero birds left flying in any war-zone areas - all birds will be suspect, it seems that this plays right into a fear that already exists when it comes to our feathered friends. Recently a stork was 'detained' by Egyptian authorities that thought it was an undercover operative; shortly after it was released villagers killed and then ate the bird.
No worries of that happening with Maveric - the meat is a little tough.
According to Wired, the company has been awarded a $4.5 million contract from the U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force to produce 36 'Maverics' for an urgent, but undisclosed, need.
Maveric weighs just 2.5 pounds and can be contained within a 6-inch tube. There’s no assembly required to prepare it for use, and it can be launched in less than 5 minutes by a single soldier. Once it reaches 100 meters, it’s silent to those on the ground. The battery’s only good for about an hour, but it takes just 30 seconds to swap a dead pack for a fresh one and have it ready to fly again. The drone is retrieved with a net.
The drone’s retractable gimbaled camera is flexible enough to capture footage from almost any angle, and it is said to be so good it can work in the most inclement weather.
I can almost see it now - there will be zero birds left flying in any war-zone areas - all birds will be suspect, it seems that this plays right into a fear that already exists when it comes to our feathered friends. Recently a stork was 'detained' by Egyptian authorities that thought it was an undercover operative; shortly after it was released villagers killed and then ate the bird.
No worries of that happening with Maveric - the meat is a little tough.
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