Textron Systems Corporation has secured a contract to deliver three Aerosonde Mk. 4.7 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) to Nigerian security provider Tantita Security Services.
The Aerosonde Mk. 4.7 utilizes a runway-independent configuration powered by Hybrid Quadrotor technology. This allows the system to perform VTOL capabilities, making it an adaptable solution for security missions in high-risk sectors where traditional runway access may be limited.
The aircraft will be provided in a fully ITAR-Free configuration, a design specifically intended to facilitate ease of export for international customers. These systems are slated to enhance security operations focused on the protection of Nigeria’s critical oil and gas infrastructure. The agreement also includes options for specialized training and the procurement of additional aircraft to support future capability expansion.
David Phillips, Senior Vice President, Air, Land and Sea Systems, stated, “The Aerosonde Mk. 4.7 VTOL UAS is a mature, highly reliable, and industry-proven autonomous solution that will provide Tantita Security Services with transformational capability to execute their security operations. The Aerosonde system’s demonstrated performance and benchmark-setting reliability will enable the Tantita team to expand its capabilities to protect the oil and gas infrastructure essential to Nigerian security and prosperity.”
This contract follows a previous Foreign Military Sale to Nigeria and builds on several years of international support for the Aerosonde family of systems. To date, the platform has amassed over 700,000 flight hours while operating in challenging environments globally. The Aerosonde system is currently deployed on more than 10 U.S. Navy ships and features a multi-mission design capable of supporting various payload configurations in both VTOL and fixed-wing formats.
As a subsidiary of Textron Inc., Textron Systems provides these autonomous solutions to a global client base, leveraging a history of performance in air, land, and sea domains.
