For the US Army, a drone was created that flies 500 km at a time and does not need navigation

Northrop Grumman and Martin UAV have completed flight tests of an improved version of the Martin V-BAT unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

The flight was conducted as part of the U.S. Army's Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (FTUAS) competition to replace the aging RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle for the Army, combat teams, special forces and ranger battalions.

Military commanders now rely on dronesfor day and night reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition, as well as general situational awareness. Now the US Army wants to quickly implement a replacement. Among the requirements for the updated system are navigation without GPS and constant aerial reconnaissance. It should also be suitable for a small team in a confined space and without a runway.

Martin UAV developers have created a replacement -Martin's advanced V-BAT. Weighing 38 kg with a full fuel tank and payload, it remains aloft for eight hours with an additional hour's fuel reserve. In the air, the drone reaches a maximum speed of 167 km/h) at a maximum altitude of 4600 m. The flight range is 563 km.

The enhanced V-BAT is based on the Martin UAV V-BAT line of unmanned aerial vehicles. Photo: Northrop Grumman

V-BAT can carry different payloads,it can be easily changed to suit the requirements of any mission. For example, the system provides soldiers with synthetic aperture radars and electronic warfare payloads.

The tactical drone features advanced non-GPS navigation and Shield Hivemind, which uses machine learning to prepare for new, more complex missions. 

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