American defense contractor and drone manufacturer Aerovironment has announced that the company will be donating more than 100 Quantix Recon unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), as well as operational training services, to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.
According to the company’s website, AeroVironment chairman, president and chief executive officer Wahid Nawabi stated that “As the Ukraine military’s fight to protect their homeland and defend their nation’s freedom against Russia’s invasion intensifies, their need for solutions that can offer force protection and force multiplication capabilities continues. This donation will provide operators with a tool that can fly undetected by enemy forces and unaffected by radio frequency jammers to deliver accurate and rapid reconnaissance of remote, inaccessible areas of the dynamically changing battlefield.”
“Using the actionable intelligence gathered by the Quantix Recon, operators can conduct quick mission planning and verification to help keep Ukrainian ground forces out of harm’s way. AeroVironment is honored to support the people of Ukraine,” Nawabi added.
The Quantix Recon is a small unmanned aerial system that can carry out fully automated mapping and scouting operations, which “ provides on-demand actionable intelligence using high-resolution, georeferenced terrain, vegetation and infrastructure imagery.” With a 45 minute flight time, the drone can survey up to 1.6 square kilometers (0.6 square miles) or 20 linear kilometers (12.4 miles). The drone also has a “radio frequency silent mode,” making the system “undeterred by jamming technology and acoustically undetectable at 360 ft.” A feature that also separates the Quantix Recon from other systems is its vertical take off and landing (VTOL) capabilities, which makes for easy deployment with no need for a launcher or slingshot.
According to Aerovironment, “The first half of the donated Quantix Recon UAS shipment is expected to be delivered this week with operational training commencing immediately.”
