Austrian Armed Forces Orders Cassidian "Tracker" Mini Unmanned Air System

The Austrian Ministry of Defence has ordered 6 Tracker mini unmanned air systems (18 aircraft) from Survey Copter, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cassidian SAS.

After evaluation of the mini-UAS operation in accordance with the Austrian Armed Forces capability development plan, a further procurement of mini-UAS is intended between 2016 and 2017.

The Tracker can be deployed for missions including detection, reconnaissance, identification, classification, tracking, over-the-hill targeting, target or axis designation, special force and anti-terrorism action, littoral / border control, force protection, convoy support, dismounted warfighter missions and Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT).

Following a pre-programmed and reconfigurable plan in the course of the mission, the Tracker flies entirely automatically, which enables the operators to devote themselves to their reconnaissance assignment.

"We are very proud to have been selected to introduce mini unmanned air systems with the Austrian forces, a further mark of Cassidian and Survey Copter European credibility and leadership in this particularly fast-growing sector" said Jean-Marc Masenelli, Managing Director of Survey Copter.

Composed by an aircraft and a ground station, the short-range mini-UAS Tracker is a hand-launched system, carried as a backpack. The ground station, consisting of two PCs and control units with joysticks, is coupled to a data link antenna tracking the aircraft in real-time.

Increasing the situational awareness and reconnaissance capabilities, the Tracker features an advanced ergonomic man-machine interface (MMI), automatic and safe procedures, low-noise electric engines and is optimised to provide stealthy intelligence gathering capabilities for military, security and civil authorities.

The system’s uniquely comprehensive technical features include visible-light and infra-red high-resolution cameras integrated in a three-axis gyro-stabilised plug and play turret called the "T120", specifically developed by Survey Copter.