Australian Army experiments with UGVs, but seeks understanding before proliferation
The Australian Army is exploring the options and benefits of a wide range of UGVs.
SPX Communication Technologies has introduced an open architecture version of its BlackTALON CUAS system which will allow the integration of a range of different sensors beyond those from Chess Dynamics and Blighter which are used already.
BlackTALON Ecosystem integrates SPX Communication Technologies’ technology into a vendor-agnostic framework in an effort to meet specific customer requirements and provide a tailored solution for particular concepts of operations.
Solutions highlighted by the company include autonomous optical tracking from OpenWorks, 3D radar from US provider Echodyne and RF subsystems from SPX mounted on a range of dispersed or centrally located mobile or transportable masts integrated by BlackTALON Ecosystem.
Graeme Forsyth, CUAS product manager at SPX Communication Technologies, said open architecture and the ability to integrate a wide range of systems was an operational requirement.
“The complexity and speed that modern conflict develops means it's impossible for a single CUAS provider to own all the necessary technologies to provide a best-in-class solution suitable for all forms of threats today and in the future,” Forsyth said.
The BlackTALON CUAS system was shown for the first time at the Association of Old Crows International Symposium in Washington DC in December 2021.
At the time the company said more than 100 systems were deployed in Europe and more systems were expected to be delivered to as many as nine European customers in 2022.
The Australian Army is exploring the options and benefits of a wide range of UGVs.
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