TL;DR:
- Toll Aviation and Shield AI collaborate to bring the V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing drone to Australia.
- The V-BAT, a Group 3 UAS, is renowned for its versatility in applications, from search and rescue to disaster management.
- Training and operations will be conducted domestically, enabling CASA licensing and operational approvals.
- Flight demonstrations and training courses are planned for 2024.
- The partnership explores collaboration opportunities with Australian technology leaders.
- ViDAR integration enhances target detection capabilities, while Hivemind offers advanced autonomy.
- The V-BAT outperformed 13 competitors to secure a key Navy and SOCOM contract.
- It can operate in challenging conditions, taking off and landing vertically and flying horizontally.
Main AI News:
Toll Aviation, in collaboration with Shield AI, has unveiled an exciting development in the realm of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with the introduction of the V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing drone to the Australian market. This groundbreaking Group 3 UAS, already in service with the U.S. Navy and a contender for the U.S. Army’s Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS), is set to revolutionize various sectors, from search and rescue operations to climate surveillance, biosecurity protection, and disaster management, including advanced autonomous fire detection.
Colin Gunn, General Manager of Toll Aviation, expressed his enthusiasm for this partnership, stating, “This Teaming Agreement heralds the next chapter in uncrewed system employment and deployment in Australia. It brings together two innovative and future-thinking organizations to deliver groundbreaking capability to Australian end users, supported by a growing swathe of Australian sovereign technologies. This is an entire step up, and forward, in technology across the civilian and Defense UAS sector.“
The V-BAT is not only versatile but also adaptable, capable of carrying multi-mission payloads to fulfill a wide range of civil and defense mission requirements. With an open architecture network backbone designed to accept emerging apps and payloads, this drone is poised for continuous advancements.
Importantly, all training and operations will be conducted domestically in Australia, utilizing local aircrew under Australian ReOC training approval or equivalent military training programs. This approach enables clients to obtain relevant CASA licensing and operational approvals within the 150kg VTOL systems, facilitating domestic operations within approved civil and military airspace.
In a strategic move, Toll Aviation is set to conduct flight demonstrations of the V-Bat in the first half of 2024 at various locations across Australia. Furthermore, in collaboration with Shield AI, they will conduct a comprehensive V-BAT operator and maintainer type endorsement course in Sydney at the ACE Training Centre, with flight serials planned in New South Wales and Queensland airspace.
The partnership between Toll Aviation and Shield AI will not only introduce the V-BAT drone to Australia but also focus on future collaborations with Australian-based technology leaders. A recent announcement revealed their cooperation with Australian company Sentient Vision to develop and integrate a ViDAR-enabled, wide-area search capability onto the V-BAT. ViDAR, an artificial intelligence (AI) system by Sentient, employs an electro-optic infrared (EO/IR) sensor to detect and classify targets, enhancing the drone’s capabilities.
Hivemind, the AI and autonomy backbone of Shield AI, is expected to provide advanced capability to approved operators in Australia, even in degraded environments. Gunn emphasized the potential of this collaboration, stating, “This team and this platform collectively deliver great potential for a shared service model, supporting multiple Government agencies, delivering value for money capability, and improving national response and resilience capabilities.”
Notably, the V-BAT drone secured its position by surpassing 13 competitors to win the Navy and SOCOM MTUAS Increment 2 Program of Record. Its unique design and controls allow it to excel in challenging conditions, including taking off and landing in high winds, on crowded flight decks, and aboard moving vessels, with landing zones as small as 12′ x 12′. Operating in 14 time zones, these UAS work tirelessly, taking off and landing vertically while flying horizontally like fixed-wing aircraft, demonstrating their exceptional versatility and reliability.
Conclusion:
The introduction of the V-BAT drone to the Australian market through Toll Aviation and Shield AI’s collaboration signifies a major advancement in unmanned aerial systems. This development not only enhances capabilities for search and rescue, climate surveillance, biosecurity protection, and disaster management but also opens doors for innovation and collaboration within the Australian technology sector. The V-BAT’s proven performance and adaptability position it as a game-changer in the drone market, offering valuable solutions for both civilian and defense applications.
