Sponsored by The British Robotics Seed Fund
http: www.britbots.com/fund
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03 Feb 22. US Navy receives first IFC-4 Triton UAS from Northrop Grumman. The MQ-4C Triton features an upgraded hardware and software configuration. The US Navy has taken delivery of MQ-4C Triton uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), the first production aircraft in its new Integrated Functional Capability (IFC)-4 configuration. Known as B8, the aircraft arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, US. Delivery of the aircraft follows its successful maiden flight test in the upgraded multi-intelligence configuration on 29 July 2021. The upgraded hardware and software configuration of Triton will help fulfil the US Navy’s maritime intelligence, surveillance, investigation and targeting requirements. It features a 360-degree active electronically scanned array maritime radar, full-motion electro-optical/infra-red video streaming and full-spectrum high altitude long endurance signals intelligence capabilities. In 2018, Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton UAS was officially welcomed into the US Navy fleet. MQ-4C Triton UAS is designed to deliver intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services over ocean and coastal zones in real time. With an operational range of 8,200nm, Triton can operate more than 24 hours at a time, at altitudes higher than 16.09km. The navy has committed to a 68-aircraft programme of record and plans to maintain five round-the-clock operational orbits using the aircraft. (Source: naval-technology.com)
02 Feb 22. Nordic Unmanned Completes Tests for $75m Tender. Nordic Unmanned has completed a week of multitask trials, including flights, payload configurations and training simulation demonstration for a potential customer relating to a tender for the acquisition of tactical unmanned aircraft systems, including sustainment, support and training.
The week of testing is a mandatory evaluation stage of an ongoing tender process.
The tender has a contractual value of DKK 500m ($75m) with a maximum value of DKK 1bn ($150m) over a 10-year period. Nordic Unmanned’s chosen supplier for this tender is Textron Systems with its Aerosonde Mk 4.7, and a joint team consisting of Nordic Unmanned and Textron System performed the test according to the test criteria.
The next phase of the tender process will be an invitation to negotiation on the First Indicative Offer (INDO) submitted December 2021.
DISCLOSURE REGULATION
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. (Source: UAS VISION)
30 Jan 22. Egypt May Buy Wing Loong I-D Drones from China. China is in talks with Egypt to deliver an undisclosed number of Wing Loong I-D Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that will be delivered to the Egyptian Air Force. According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) arms trade database, China has already delivered several different types of drones to Egypt including ASN-209 designed for Medium Altitude Medium Endurance (MAME) tactical missions and Wing Loong 1/2 armed drones.
Egypt and China had signed an agreement to build twelve ASN-209 UAVs including technology transfer in order to enhance Egypt’s domestic drone industry. In May 2012 six Egyptian drones of ASN-209 were built in collaboration with a foreign defense manufacturer during the first phase and are fully operational under the Egyptian armed forces.
The Wing Loong 1 is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Wing Loong 2 UAV MALE is an enlarged version of Wing Loong 1 with a longer body and wider wingspan.
The Wing Loong I-D is an upgraded variant of the original Wing Loong I unmanned aircraft featuring an all-composite airframe. The drone performed its maiden flight in December 2018. It has a greater payload compared to the previous version of Wing Loong 1 that can reach up to 200kg.
The Wing Loong I-D has a length of 9.34m, a wingspan of 14m, and can fly for up to 35 hours with a maximum range of 4,000 km. The drone can be armed with up to 12 missiles. The sensor suite for the new drone includes high definition electro-optical camera and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. (Source: UAS VISION/ Army Recognition
01 Feb 22. DE&S FCG announces upcoming competitions for unmanned capabilities. James Gavin, head of the Future Capability Group (FCG), part of Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), outlined a number of upcoming competitions at the International Armoured Vehicle (IAV) 2022 conference in London. Some of the key priorities include nano-unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), tethered-UAS, multidomain integrated UAS swarms, large rotary-wing UAS, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS), human-machine teaming (HMT, such as the use of robot dogs), and human-machine interface (HMI).
It was revealed that FCG has a budget of approximately GBP300m (USD404.9m) over three years across multiple programmes and projects. HMT is considered a high priority for FCG customers, James Gavin said, however, despite its importance they stated that overall, the capability does not yet exist in industry outside of the US to meet requirements. In April 2022 the organisation intends to launch an HMT acquisition framework with an initial budget of GBP25m. The programme will have significant headroom and may reach around GBP100m in approximately two years. (Source: Janes)
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The British Robotics Seed Fund is the first SEIS-qualifying investment fund specialising in UK-based robotics businesses. The focus of the fund is to deliver superior returns to investors by making targeted investments in a mixed basket of the most innovative and disruptive businesses that are exploiting the new generation of robotics technologies in defence and other sector applications.
Automation and robotisation are beginning to drive significant productivity improvements in the global economy heralding a new industrial revolution. The fund allows investors to benefit from this exciting opportunity, whilst also delivering the extremely attractive tax reliefs offered by the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). For many private investors, the amount of specialist knowledge required to assess investments in robotics is not practical and hence investing through a fund structure makes good sense.
The fund appoints expert mentors to work with each investee company to further maximise the chance of success for investors. Further details are available on request.
www.britbots.com/fund
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