A Vector ISR UAV made by Quantum Systems. (Quantum Systems)
Quantum Systems is extending the endurance of its Twister unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from 75 to 90 minutes, Casey Martin, the company's head of business development, told Janes on 16 October.
Although Twister remains in the prototype stage, Quantum Systems is conducting demonstrations for potential customers with its existing craft. One such demonstration is to take place imminently in Canada, as the company demonstrates Twister for Canadian special operations forces.
A few changes have resulted from prototype testing, said Martin. The company intends to widen Twister's fuselage slightly to accommodate more equipment and make the tailfin larger to assist with flight stability, particularly during landing.
The company hopes to release the low-rate initial production version of Twister in the second quarter of calendar year 2025, said Martin, starting with five to ten per month and ramping up to as many as 40 per month. Although the company bid Twister's inclusion on the US Defense Innovation Unit's recent Blue List update – the document defines which small UAVs US Department of Defense organisations can purchase off-the-shelf without burdensome additional testing – it was not selected.
Twister was unveiled in 2023. The small UAV has a 4.1 ft (1.2 m) wingspan and weighs 5.5 lb (2.5 kg), including a 350 g payload.
Meanwhile, the company is also working on Vector, which was unveiled in 2019 and has several customers, including Germany and the Netherlands.
One such customer is Ukraine, where at least 300 Vectors have been delivered. Quantum Systems is learning lessons from operations in Ukraine, which the company is rolling into upgrades, said Martin. The next Vector configuration is called R24.
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