Smaller drones find their place in the army: the weapon of the week

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

Now it's time to introduce our weapon of the week, and to say that there is a lot of competition in the drone industry is an understatement. How competitive is this you may be wondering, take a look at this.

THIS 2022 INFOGRAPHIC FROM OVERVIEW OF THE DRONE INDUSTRY SHOWS HOW MANY COMPANIES ARE RACING FOR A SHARE OF THE MARKET.

TO SURVIVE IN A FIELD THAT COMPETITIVE COMPANIES NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO STAND OUT FROM THE PACK. FOR PERFORMANCE DRONE WORK, IT’S THE C-100.

AT FIRST GLANCE, IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT DIFFERENT FROM A DRONE YOU MIGHT FIND ON THE SHELF OF A BIG BOX STORE. BUT ON CLOSER INSPECTION, THE C-100 BRINGS A LOT OF VERSATILITY TO THE TABLE. PDW IS MARKETING IT AS “THE ULTIMATE FORCE MULTIPLIER”, PUTTING THE ABILITY TO COLLECT INTELS, CARRY A PAYLOAD, OR DELIVER AMMO WITH PRECISION, RIGHT IN THE HANDS OF THE OPERATOR WITH A FIRST PERSON VIEW.

[RYAN GURY]

“FPV is a whole new style of munitions delivery, where a pilot has, you know, very limited control over exactly where that munitions can be placed. And when this can be placed, you can stand at a distance, but while you identify targets, you can hit pieces of armor or exactly where they are vulnerable. And last week, Ukrainian generals told us that FPV now surpasses artillery and small arms in anti-personnel and anti-armor weapons. You know, we think this combat system is just the next era of defense. And, you know, we're really excited to participate and move this project forward.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

CEO AND CO-FOUNDER RYAN GURY BRINGS A UNIQUE CONTEXT TO THE TABLE.

AS CO-FOUNDER OF THE DRONE RACING LEAGUE, HE KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT DEVELOPING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE PACKAGE.

[Drone Racing League]

“DRL defines 21st century sport. Immerse fans in high-tech, high-speed competition in all dimensions! »

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES OF DRL DRONES SOON PICKED THE INTEREST OF THE SPECIAL FORCES COMMUNITY, AND IT DID NOT TAKE LONG FOR GURY TO REALIZE THAT THERE WAS A MILITARY NEED FOR THEIR TECHNOLOGY. ABLE TO AUTONOMOUS OPERATIONS, PDW SAYS THE C-100 IS POWERED BY AI-ASSISTED SOFTWARE, MAKING IT A PLATFORM THAT CAN THINK FOR ITSELF AND AROUND ENEMY SYSTEMS.

[RYAN GURY]

“We have a pretty large flight envelope, you know, we can accommodate payloads of 10 to 15 pounds depending on the configuration of the figure, and we can fly those payloads, you know, for up to 34 minutes. So full weight, if you just want to drive a single camera and get to 74 minutes. And you know, that flight envelope is critical to making this product a successful product, because this product is, you know, intended to be compatible with every system, every payload in its class.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

FROM VARIOUS AMMUNITION TO A RANGE OF CAMERAS AND SENSORS, THIS MULTI-MISSION PLATFORM BRINGS VERSATILITY TO THE BATTLESPACE. So much so that GURY DESCRIBED THE C-100 AS AIR SUPPORT FOR A SINGLE SOLDIER IN A BACKPACK.

[RYAN GURY]

“Drones that you can operate from your body from your backpack for use on a front line really extend the front line, beyond humans and into sensors and robotics and really keep the warfighter safe .

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

It's this kind of mindset that helps PDW find its place in a crowded market.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE THE U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES OFFICE OF ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY AND LOGISTICS AWARDED THE ALABAMA STARTUP A $6.9 MILLION CONTRACT FOR THEIR BLACK WAVE RADIO SYSTEM DESIGNED TO KEEP THEIR DRONES AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS RESISTANT TO JAMMING BY ENEMY FORCES.

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