Netherlands MoD receives first tranche of ISR UAVs

Quantum-Systems is delivering an undisclosed number of Vector UAVs to the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. Pictured is the Vector eVTOL UAV exhibited by ESG at Dubai Airshow 2021. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)

Quantum-Systems and BSS Holland have delivered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD).

According to a Quantum-Systems announcement on 27 October, the MoD has received its first tranche of Vector intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) UAVs.

The company was unable to provide further information on the number of systems being delivered or the delivery timeframes.

Vector is an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) 2-in-1 UAV that is suitable for ISR operations, including for border patrol, search-and-rescue, and battlefield surveillance. The 2-in-1 design enables the system to be reconfigured to a tri-copter known as ‘Scorpion' by removing the wings and attaching copter blades.

With a 2.8 m wingspan and a 7.4 kg maximum take-off weight, Vector is capable of operating at speeds of up to 25 m/s. It also has a flight time of up to 2 hours and can be fitted with either a NextVision Nighthawk2-UZ or a Trillium Engineering's HD40-LV electro-optical payload, Quantum-Systems added.

The system is able to stream real-time data through an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-Encrypted mesh IP datalink, and has an operational range of 15+ km, with a handheld unit, and 25+ km with sector antennas.

The MoD selected Vector as the preferred system because of its security capabilities, enabled by the encrypted datalink, and versatility, the announcement said.

In August, Ukraine ordered an undisclosed number of Vector UAVs, which were financed from a German “security capacity building” fund.