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The Orbiter 4 UAV.
PARIS—Israeli drone-maker Aeronautics Group said it has demonstrated single-operator control of multiple uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs).
For years, UAVs came with the promise of reducing crewing requirements, but in reality turned out to be labor-intensive both from a support and operational side.
The company has now demonstrated the ability to have a single operator—using one ground control station—fly several of its vehicles at the same time, showing that the promise of greater crewing efficiency is materializing, Aeronautics CEO Dan Slasky said on the sidelines of the Eurosatory defense expo.
The trials involved four of its rail-launched Orbiter 4 UAVs, the Rafael-owned company said in a social media post, noting the trial shows “the practical potential of multi-UAV operation at scale.”
In the scenario, one of the vehicles was operating in surveillance mode, another was loitering in the area of interest, with a third air vehicle inbound and a fourth returning to base. “This capability allows a single operator to execute a dynamic mission while concurrently overseeing autonomous operational activities, maintaining continuous control throughout the mission without handovers, communication gaps or operational friction,” the company said.
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