Sydney (Australia), 28 Feb. British company BAE Systems on Tuesday unveiled its first Australian-made unmanned vertical take-off and landing vehicle, a device capable of carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance and air strikes against “hostile targets” on the ground.
The “SRINX”, as it has been called, can carry a payload of up to 160 kilograms, including ammunition, over 800 kilometers, according to a statement from the subsidiary of BAE Systems in Australia, which produced this device with the Australian company. .innovative.
In addition, this 2.6 meter by 4.5 meter unmanned drone, which has the ability to take off and land vertically, fits inside a ship, and can be directed from a helicopter in ” high-risk situations,” the statement added.
“STRIX could be ready for operational service in 2026, a prototype is already in the works,” said Bed Hudson, CEO of BAE Systems Australia.
According to the Australian Ministry of Defense confirmed this today to the public broadcaster ABC.
The show takes place ahead of the expected announcement, at an unspecified date in March, of the acquisition of nuclear submarines under the AUKUS pact, signed by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in September 2021 and which involved the cancellation of a contract with the French company Naval for the construction of conventional submersibles.
In recent years, Australia has made heavy military investments, including the purchase of ships and frigates from Spain’s Navantia, amid concerns about China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. EFE
wat/pav/gcf
(Photo)