Vertical take-off and landing capabilities for unmanned aerial systems are not new, but next-generation fixed-wing concepts are emerging to meet the future needs of the modern-day battlefield. Joe Charlaff speaks with Israeli unmanned systems provider BlueBird Aero Systems about its solutions to emerging trends in the sector.
Militaries worldwide, significantly in the US, are moving to the adoption of fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial systems (UAS) capabilities, leveraging the performance and logistical advantages that such systems have. Not least of these is the reduced footprint required for operations.
BlueBird Aero Systems is among those working to provide solutions in this field, delivering a significant number of systems to a range of users, with the company recently handing over more than 150 WanderB-VTOL and ThunderB-VTOL UAVs to an unnamed European customer.
