Patria and ACC Innovation sign cooperation on military drone based on Thunder Wasp GT

A military drone marks the start of a new partnership in unmanned systems: Patria and ACC Innovation from Sweden have signed a contract governing their cooperation on the militarisation of drones. In phase one, a military version of ACC Innovation's Thunder Wasp GT quadcopter, whose maximum take-off weight is around 800 kilograms, is to be created.

What the partners expect from the military drone

For Patria, Mikko Leino, Executive Vice President, Operations, comments. “Patria's extensive experience in research and development provides a solid foundation,” said Leino, “for integrating new intelligent functions into drone systems.” And further: “We have broad expertise in developing and integrating military capabilities into selected platforms,” he says, “to achieve the desired performance.” He adds: “We see great potential in the militarisation of such a novel capability,” Leino explains, “for a wide range of applications in today's constantly changing operational environment.” In conclusion: “We look forward to continuing our excellent cooperation with ACC Innovation.”

Speaking for ACC Innovation AB, CTO Max Drougge says: “We are proud to announce our cooperation with Patria – a partnership that represents a significant step in the development and deployment of advanced aerial platforms.” He continues: “Our expertise in high-performance quadcopter systems, combined with Patria's extensive experience in defence innovation, will enable us,” said Drougge, “to open up new horizons in autonomous and heavy-lift aviation technology.” And: “Despite the wide range of possible applications, we remain committed to our aim,” says the CTO, “of developing and deploying our technologies responsibly – with a clear focus on safety, reliability and operational effectiveness.”

Patria has been developing solutions and technologies for unmanned military operations for several years. Besides the platforms themselves, the company covers the entire chain a mission needs to succeed: mission planning, navigation in exceptional conditions, payload management, securing the communication links and the evaluation of mission data.