Evolve Dynamics, Criterion, Doodle Labs Bag SKY MANTIS 2 Deal
British unmanned aerial systems (UAS) manufacturer Evolve Dynamics has announced a significant contract win for its SKY MANTIS 2 aircraft and accessories package with a defence customer in the Australia and New Zealand region. The deal was facilitated by delivery partner Criterion Solutions, with whom Evolve Dynamics signed an agreement earlier this year.
Under the agreement, Criterion Solutions will provide enduring customer service, including in-country training, support, and repairs for customers of Evolve Dynamics’ technology in Australia and New Zealand. The SKY MANTIS 2 UAS will be offered to customers across the police, security, and defence sectors in both countries.
The SKY MANTIS 2 is a highly advanced UAS designed to deliver value to government agency operations in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). It boasts resilience, power, and imaging capabilities, with extreme weather operability. The platform comes equipped with a Doodle Labs Helix Mesh Rider Radio, which has undergone extensive frontline testing to ensure reliability.
The SKY MANTIS 2 offers a range of interchangeable ISR payloads, including MWIR thermal zoom, 61MP HD camera, LWIR thermal zoom, and RF Scanner. These payloads enable customers to enhance their situational awareness capabilities across various operational scenarios.
In addition, Evolve Dynamics’ Simulator has proven popular among customers in defence, public safety, and industry. The simulator allows new and existing pilots to train in a realistic, synthetic environment that replicates real-world conditions, including extreme weather. With the ability to operate with the actual SKY MANTIS 2 ground control station and simulated gimbal video, the training experience is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Pilots can build and maintain competency with zero risk and lower cost than operating a real system and can even train for advanced missions such as landing on a vessel.
Inzpire Secures RAF Training Contract
Inzpire’s Collective Training Business Unit has been awarded a new three-year contract to provide White Force services to the Air and Space Warfare Centre (ASWC) at RAF Waddington. The contract, secured through the Engineering Delivery Partnership, will benefit frontline training audiences from air, land, space, and maritime domains.
Under the contract, Inzpire’s White Force team will support the design and delivery of the Royal Air Force’s capstone live flying event, Exercise COBRA WARRIOR, as well as multiple synthetic exercises run from the Air Battlespace Training Centre (ABTC) under the GLADIATOR programme. The team will also provide connections to coalition partners around the globe.
Inzpire’s space subject matter experts will be embedded within the Whole Force to enable truly multi-domain collective training. The company’s professional White Force team, comprising subject matter experts, will design and deliver exercises from cradle to grave, covering the full Plan, Brief, Execute, and Debrief cycle.
Inzpire has a rich pedigree in delivering operationally relevant training in live and synthetic environments. The company has had experts as part of the Whole Force at the ABTC for over 16 years and has been vital to the planning and execution of Exercise COBRA WARRIOR and other live flying large force employment exercises since 2015.
By merging existing live and synthetic contracts, Inzpire’s White Force can now enable training to be conducted in the most appropriate environment. The company’s flexible workforce, with vast experience spanning all domains, brings synergy and expertise to provide coherence to live and synthetic training, with the objective of delivering more effective combat forces to the front line.
Inzpire’s Air & Space Division has a proven track record of successful, partnered collective training delivery with the UK Ministry of Defence. The division has designed and delivered over 400 live and synthetic exercises and provided operationally realistic training to over 10,000 frontline personnel.
UK Eyes Kongsberg Ship Design
The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is considering a contract with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS to investigate the feasibility of using a pre-existing commercial ship design as the foundation for the UK’s Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs).
The MOD’s initiative, part of a broader strategy to acquire up to three vessels designed specifically as motherships for autonomous mine-hunting boats, aims to develop and de-risk a potential UK requirement for MHC OSVs. The contract, valued between £150,000 and £300,000, is set to run from August 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, with an option to extend for up to 12 months.
Kongsberg’s Vanguard system, originally proposed to the Norwegian Navy, has been selected for the short study due to the company’s unique technical knowledge, experience, and rights to the commercial ship design. According to the MOD, only Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS has the necessary expertise to provide the required support and analysis.
The new ships are expected to be built to higher damage control and survivability standards than merchant ship conversions, such as the RFA Stirling Castle. The Vanguard system is designed to “ensure mission success in territorial waters surveillance and protection” and features a multipurpose hangar supporting helicopters, UAVs, and USVs, as well as organic vehicle launch and recovery capabilities in high sea states.
IFS Acquires EmpowerMX, Eyes Copperleaf
In a strategic move to bolster its presence in the aviation industry, IFS has announced the acquisition of EmpowerMX, a leading provider of AI-powered aviation maintenance software, and confirmed its agreement to acquire Copperleaf Technologies Inc., a renowned enterprise decision analytics software firm.
The acquisition of EmpowerMX marks a significant step forward for IFS in its commitment to Industrial AI, enabling customers to rapidly derive value and improve their services. For aerospace and defence customers, this means enhancing production control, minimizing turnaround times, and reducing maintenance costs. The combined capabilities of IFS and EmpowerMX will provide customers with the most comprehensive and capable maintenance management system, supporting multiple users in multiple roles and ensuring paperless governance through electronic task cards and logbooks.
The aviation industry is currently facing numerous challenges, including supply chain disruptions, labour and skills shortages, capacity shortfalls, compliance, and ESG reporting. By integrating EmpowerMX’s expertise with IFS’s global scale and capabilities, customers will now be able to leverage IFS. ai innovation to maximize asset availability, deliver best practices, and ensure compliant delivery.
This strategic expansion is expected to bring significant value and innovation to customers in the aerospace and defence sectors, positioning IFS as a leading player in the industry.
Flitetec Launches OEMRepair Hub
Flitetec, a leading international aircraft components specialist with operations in the UK, France, and North America, is set to revolutionize the aviation industry with the launch of its innovative OEMRepair Hub at the Farnborough International Air show (FIA2024) from July 22nd to 26th.
The OEMRepair Hub is designed to address the growing challenges faced by aircraft operators in repairing and overhauling components and equipment supplied by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). With many OEMs no longer in operation, merged into larger groups, or lacking the capacity to repair specific parts, Flitetec’s new service aims to fill this critical gap in the market.
According to Trevor Lea, Managing Director of Flitetec, “The aviation industry is facing unprecedented challenges in keeping their assets operational due to the unavailability of parts and repair services from OEMs. Downtime is costly, and the cost of repair or refurbishment can be a fraction of the cost of upgrading to a new aircraft or platform.”
Flitetec’s OEMRepair Hub promises to provide a comprehensive solution that streamlines repair processes, ensuring efficiency, reliability, and exceptional customer satisfaction. The service is the result of Flitetec’s remarkable growth, with the company doubling its annual revenues in each of the past two years and setting its sights on continued strong growth.
The OEMRepair Hub is expected to be a game-changer for the aviation industry, and its launch at FIA2024 is highly anticipated.
Thanks for taking the time to reach! Have a great week.