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Tactical UAS Deploys in Less Than One Minute

Nov. 26, 2019
This multiple-rotor UAS teams with almost any combat vehicle to form an effective intelligence-gathering platform.

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) serve as robotic partners to mobile troops, owing to their surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. One of the more versatile UAS devices, the MAGNI, was just launched by Elbit Systems. It is a vertical-take-off-and-land (VTOL) UAS that can be launched from any combat vehicle in less than one minute and reach altitudes as high as 4000 ft. The multiple-rotor vehicle weighs only 2.5 kg but can carry payloads as large as 0.35 kg.

The fully autonomous MAGNI system integrates a thermal payload, a communications suite, automatic coordinate tracking capability, and built-in interface with Battle Management Systems (BMS). The vehicle operates as long as 30 min. with a range of 3 km. It is designed for day or night intelligence gathering with the capability to wirelessly feed target information to command-and-control stations. The MAGNI UAS was constructed according to reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements and is designed for single-user remote operation.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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