Tactical UAS Launchers Will Provide Zero Point Launch

Tactical UAS Launchers Will Provide Zero Point Launch

tactical UAS

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Tactical UAS (TUAS) are a critical part of the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architectures of armed forces all over the world, and zero point or short rail launch is a capability essential regardless of operational environment.

Finland’s Robonics, who partnered up with Kratos has delivered two of its third-generation Kontio pneumatic launchers to the US Army.

Robonics is a supplier of UAS launch systems, offering a family of pneumatic technology solutions providing cost-effective and flexible zero point or short rail launch of unmanned aircraft and target drones. According to the company’s website, its systems have been integrated with over 20 different air vehicle types and used by military and commercial customers to launch over 15 different platforms.

According to defenseworld.net, the launchers were delivered to the US Targets Management Office, part of PEO STRI (Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation), after test completion last month, the company announced recently.

The two launchers, now operational, are designed to support tactical unmanned air systems and target drones, this high-pressure pneumatic launcher will be used to launch the Firejet high-performance aerial targets.

The Kontio launcher is a highly transportable universal launcher with a large mass and speed envelope which makes it highly suitable for several types of targets or tactical unmanned aerial vehicles. It’s designed to launch air vehicles of up to 140 kg mass with a 70 m/s exit velocity or alternatively 500 kg masses at 37 m/s.

The company claims its launchers have met all mission challenges from the extremes of high desert mountains to gale-swept icy tundra.