Dual-Use Drone Launched in Commercial Market

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

A drone used by the military will offer its services for civilian customers. The military-grade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used by the Department of Defense (DoD) and other U.S. federal agencies, Vesper, and its Vision Ground Control Station (GCS) will become available to commercial customers for the first time. 

According to its manufacturer, Vantage Robotics, the UAV has capabilities like stealth and low-light cameras, endurance, portability, and a modular design. Vesper is now ready for the most challenging reconnaissance missions on behalf of government customers as well as select first responders, security, and inspection customers.

Some of the commercial or civilian uses envisioned by Vantage for Vesper include facilities management, inspections of secure infrastructures, private security, wildlife management, oceanographic research and law enforcement. 

The Vesper has a flight time of 50 minutes and is able to reach speeds up to 45 mph and becomes unseen as well as inaudible at 50 meters. The gimbal can be swapped, and it also features two battery and rotor set options.

Through its partnership with the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Blue sUAS Project, the Vesper was approved to fly in national and DoD airspace. DoD secure user authentication, AES-256 encryption on communications and stored data, and bonded construction to prevent tampering are among the security features implemented into its systems architecture, according to aviationtoday.com.