Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has been selected for Option 1 of the US Army’s Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (FTUAS) Increment 2 program, with the potential for additional contract award options of up to 21 months.
The company is addressing the Army’s need for FTUAS with its Voly-T, a rapidly deployable, runway-independent, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
“At SNC, we are dedicated to providing the military with a future unmanned system that meets its requirements for payload, range and endurance,” said Tim Owings executive vice president of SNC’s Mission Solutions and Technologies (MST) business area. “The Voly-T supports the increased demand for immediate situational awareness on the battlefield by allowing the warfighter to see and identify the threat before the threat sees them.”
Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs provide several advantages over conventional fixed-wing UAVs, including runway independence and the capability for point takeoff and landing with minimal space and in austere environments.
Hybrid VTOLs, like SNC’s Voly-T, also provide safety advantages such as redundant lift motors and avionics with the ability to land after engine or other catastrophic failures, offering increased maneuverability over fixed-wing UAVs.
Designed to meet emerging missions and threats in a large-scale combat environment, SNC’s VTOL solution has a compact design that makes it highly maneuverable in challenging terrains and contested areas. It is ideal for tactical resupply missions and offers reliable intelligence in locations where commanders are reluctant to deploy manned aerial platforms. The Voly-T’s turnkey ISR system also provides commanders with a dedicated, rapidly-taskable UAV to see, track and understand critical elements of the battlespace and support.
“As an aerospace leader and prime integrator with a 60-year heritage, we’re using our expertise to fulfill the increasing need for transportable UAS that are safe and easily configurable at a rapid pace,” said Owings. “SNC designed the Voly-T series with the flexibility needed to meet the diverse requirements of any mission.”
Highlighting its dedication to truly open architecture systems, SNC is incorporating its engineering design, integration and manufacturing expertise to achieve Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) compliance. The Voly-T is built for endurance and delivers the redundancy and durability required to complete the mission. Its open architecture, multi-INT capability makes it easily scalable to any mission. It is capable of handling heavy payloads with the ability to carry up to 50 pounds of cargo, including an ISR or sensor payload.
SNC has invested heavily in internal research and development of emerging technologies, including more than 30 years of experience developing, integrating and engineering unmanned systems to reduce warfighter casualties in combat ISR scenarios. This shift in SNC’s product development approach has led to smaller SWaP, open architecture systems and platform-agnostic solutions that allow faster modification and integration based on customer mission needs.
