An artist's impression of the X-Frontier VTOL quadcopter recently showcased by Poland's WB Group. (WB Group)
Polish company WB Group revealed a prototype of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the Polsecure trade fair in Kielce in late April.
The system, dubbed X-Frontier, is designed for both surveillance and combat missions and could be operated by troops on the field, or remotely as a part of an automated detection system.
The cylinder-shaped platform with four detachable rotors could be fitted with a modular payload including a main electro-optic/infrared camera, a warhead up to 0.4 kg, a smoke canister, or an electronic warfare suite.
”The new system could be easily plugged into a WB Group-developed larger ecosystem and operates as the part of the ‘W2MPIR' swarm,” WB Group spokesperson Remigiusz Wilk told Janes .
Because of its compact size – 90 mm in diameter, 300 mm in height, and 1,150 g maximum take-off weight – the mini-UAV can be operated by a single soldier, with hand-launched or pneumatic tube take-off and landing. It has a maximum range of 2,000 m, a maximum endurance of 40 min, and a 60 kph maximum speed. It is fitted with a radio link with a 1,000 m real-time transmission range, inertial navigation, two-directional anti-collision sensors, an additional pilot's camera, and optional landing gear.
Remotely controlled from a small hand-held tablet, the mini-UAV can operate in swarms, with a sensor-carrying UAV detecting and pinpointing targets for those carrying explosives. One control panel could be used to control two UAVs.
This story, first published on 2 May 2022, has been updated with new information and an image.
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