The U.S. DOD’s Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) has awarded Planck Aerosystems a contract to make mobile tethered unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), intended for integration onto tactical ground vehicles.
The contract valued at over $2m has been awarded to the San Diego aerospace company following years of extensive testing and refining of their Autonomous Control Engine (ACE) technology. Capable of launch and recovery from moving vehicles both on land and at sea, the technology enables push-button take-off and precision landing from confined and moving spaces.
Tasked with identifying and developing anti-terrorism capabilities, the CTTSO chose Planck Aerosystem’s tethered UAS solution which utilises vision-guided navigation technology to operate in GPS-denied situations, execute autonomous operations from moving platforms, and is capable of precision target detection and tracking.
Speaking about the CTTSO contract, Josh Wells, Planck Aerosystem’s CEO said; “This effort will enable us to deploy technology into the hands of those who need it the most – and quickly. We’re excited about moving forward with this effort, and to be able to work with the customer to the benefit of those on the tip of the spear.”
In addition to the CTTSO contract, Planck Aerosystems have UAS autonomy and computer vision programs in place with the DoD and the Department of Homeland Security. Alongside their defensive applications, Planck’s robotics and aviation experts have also developed UAS solutions for:
- oil spill response
- tracking endangered whale species
- offshore asset inspection.
Advantages of Planck Aerosystem’s combination of their Autonomous Control Engine (ACE) technology with their tethered drone solution means that the UAS requires minimal space or installed hardware and can launch and land from moving vehicles. Endurance surveillance, RF-silence and long range communication relays can all be achieved whilst the UAS remains safely overhead.