QinetiQ has been awarded a contract worth C$51 million to deliver unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that will drive enhanced situational awareness for the Canadian Armed Forces.
The vertical take-off UAS will provide Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) services to the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, for both domestic and international operations. The system, based on the UMS SKELDAR V-200 UAS, will be equipped with a number of sensors including an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and Electro-optic infrared (EO/IR) camera.
Robert Aube, Managing Director of QinetiQ in Canada said: “We are delighted with this contract win to deliver critical over-the-horizon situation awareness to the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. This generates tactical advantages for commanders while minimising the risk to manned helicopters and personnel.
The contract will be delivered from QinetiQ’s unmanned vehicle manufacturing and operational facilities in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
QinetiQ will work with four principal partners to deliver the ISTAR services: Canadian-UAV, Leonardo, UMS SKELDAR and Wescam.
Sean Greenwood, President, and CEO of Canadian UAVs commented: “It’s a privilege and an honour to be able to work with the Canadian Armed Forces and QinetiQ, especially on such a novel project. This is the foundational contract the Canadian UAV industry has been waiting for to become world-class in autonomous vehicle service delivery and technology development.”
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