Avalon 2019: Kelpie chases service role in Australia
The Kelpie multirole UGV, unveiled on 25 February at the Avalon Air Show, is expected to reach production standard in 2020. It will be developed for both military and commercial roles.
Kelpie was built by Australian company AOS in collaboration with Australian Army special forces and the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, with funding from the Royal Australian Air Force’s Plan Jericho programme.
The platform displayed, which has undergone extensive trials, is based on a Chinese all-terrain vehicle, but the next stage of development will use a Sidewinder off-road buggy from West Australian company Edge Products.
The current chassis
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.
-
US Army accelerates acquisition and field of company-level sUAS
The service has been using a Directed Requirement (DR) approach to speed up the deployment of a Medium Range Reconnaissance capability.
-
AeroVironment to display eVTOL P550 at AUSA 2024
AeroVironment’s portfolio will grow thanks to the eVTOL P550 aimed at battalion-level tactical forces.
-
Australia’s air force aims its UAV fleet northwards
The Royal Australian Air Force is advancing its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities across three key programmes as it works with the likes of Boeing and Northrop Grumman to reshape Australia’s defence strategy.
-
FTUAS competitor trials were “very successful”, says US Army official
Prototypes from Griffon Aerospace and Textron Systems recently passed through MOSA conformance trials and flight tests.
-
Pentagon adds Replicator 2 to budget request with focus on C-sUAS capabilities
Funds for the second phase of this effort will be allocated in the US Department of Defense (DoD) FY2026 budget request.