Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin rolled out the latest version of the Indago drone.
The Indago 3 military reconnaissance drone has the longest range in Lockheed Martin’s arsenal, with a 10 kilometer range at a cruise speed of 25 mph. It’s a great advantage when “range anxiety” can affect not just a commute but a soldier’s mission.
Although it’s classified as a small UAS, the Indago can be packed with various payloads, including a 30x camera. Its operating range has been tested in temperatures from -30° to 120° Fahrenheit.
“Indago 3 gives our customers a quiet, durable, long-range system to complete sensitive operations with a small UAS,” says Rich Bonnett, Indago program manager for Lockheed Martin unmanned systems. “Our military customers tell us that Indago 3 gives them superior security, reliability, and ruggedness compared to other UAS. We continue to enhance the Indago system based on customer feedback.”
Lockheed Martin has so far sold about 100 of the Indago 3 models, which brings total deployment to 500 Indago drones. Customers include the United States military, international militaries in Southeast Asia, Central and South America and Europe, and law enforcement search and rescue teams.
Indagos have also been used in swarm configurations. Lockheed Martin has tested them in swarms of six, and plans to work up to larger configurations. On the open Media Day at Lockheed Martin’s Dallas facility, operators demonstrated two different payloads on the Indago 3, including the high-powered camera, and displayed its free flight, tracking, and hovering capabilities.
The drone operates on a small radio frequency channel enabled by the TW-600 Ocelot module made by TrellisWare.
For more on UAV swarm tactics for military applications, check out our Photos of the Day.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense