AeroVironment has revealed a new unmanned air vehicle (UAV) called the Shrike.
The small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) quadrotor was developed through a four-year Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant for a portable, stealthy "perch-and-stare" VTOL system.
"Not only does Shrike VTOL hover for more than 40 minutes with a high resolution video camera, but its innovative design also allows for the transmission of several hours of live video as a remotely emplaced perch and stare sensor," said Tom Herring, senior vice president and general manager of AeroVironment's unmanned air system business segment in a statement.
The Shrike vehicle weighs roughly 2.3kg (5lb) and can be carried using a backpack, the company said.
AeroVironment was not immediately available to answer questions about further capabilities, testing or payloads.
 |
|---|
© AeroVironment |
The company has worked on several small UAV projects for DARPA, including the Nano Hummingbird, a small hummingbird lookalike, and the Switchblade, a UAV fired from a 40mm grenade launcher. AeroVironment is also working on the Global Observer, a hydrogen-powered high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft for the US Special Operations Command.
Source: Flight International
