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Fleet of transportable Hornet UAVs prepared for takeoff. Supply: Granta Autonomy
Conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere have elevated curiosity in autonomous methods for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Drone startup Granta Autonomy at this time introduced that it has efficiently accomplished its €1 million ($1.08 million U.S.) seed funding spherical.
The Vilnius, Lithuania-based firm stated the brand new capital will allow it to speed up the event and manufacturing of its light-weight uncrewed aerial automobiles (UAVs) for surveillance and reconnaissance. It’s going to additionally work on micro gimbals and digital Datalink software program, which its crew has personally examined over Ukraine’s entrance traces.
“The normal battlefield is evolving, and Western armies require strong, dependable, and versatile options,” acknowledged Gediminas Guoba, founder and CEO of Granta Autonomy. “Granta Autonomy is dedicated to making sure our methods may be readily manufactured throughout Europe, lowering reliance on exterior sources.”
“Right this moment’s funding permits us to ramp up our manufacturing capability to ship the large-scale deployments Europe wants. Nonetheless, our focus goes past simply numbers,” he added. “Our crew works instantly with troopers on the battlefield, testing our merchandise and software program in fight zones and collaborating on options that excel within the hardest circumstances. This battlefield expertise, valued by our Western companions, fuels our mission to revolutionize drone reconnaissance for world militaries.”
Granta Autonomy designs UAVs to be dependable
Granta Autonomy has been growing remote-controlled uncrewed plane methods (UASes), gimbals, and Datalink software program since 2015. Based by former army engineers Guoba and Laurynas Litvinas, the corporate now offers NATO forces throughout Europe with its vary of hand-launched Hornet UAVs.
Founders Laurynas Litvinas and Gediminas Guoba. Supply: Granta Autonomy
The corporate additionally focuses on integration and parts for intelligence, surveillance, goal acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR), in addition to search and rescue and loitering munitions.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Granta Autonomy began supplying its UAVs to the Ukrainian entrance. Right this moment, the Ukrainian military operates Granta methods funded by the Lithuanian and different European protection ministries. The corporate additionally offers its know-how to NATO forces throughout Europe.
Its newest UAV, the Hornet XR, is transportable and has options supposed for covert reconnaissance missions. Its drone incorporates expertise and suggestions from previous fashions, stated Granta Autonomy.
With a easy throw takeoff and a silent, electrical flight lasting as much as 3 hours, the Hornet XR can cowl as much as 160 km (99.4 mi.) undetected, based on Granta Autonomy. The UAV has a compact wingspan of 1.6 m (62.9 in.), a size of 0.84 m (33 in.), and a weight of solely 2.9 kg (6.3 lb.). Thus, it may be shortly launched by hand, eliminating the necessity for cumbersome assist tools, the corporate stated.
Pre-programmed missions guarantee autonomous operation, even in radio silence or GNSS-denied environments. The plane can land itself utilizing a deep-stall technique, making it straightforward to retrieve in tight areas, Granta asserted. The Hornet XR’s compact, modular design permits for handy transport in a automobile trunk.
Light-weight micro gimbals assist seize photographs
Granta Autonomy additionally offers proprietary micro gimbals, which it claimed are the lightest direct-drive gimbals in the marketplace. The micro gimbals characteristic a digital camera system that may seize daytime photographs at distances as much as 5 km (3.1 mi.).
The corporate stated its GS-214X and GS-218X micro gimbal methods are the fourth technology of gimbal-mounted EO/IR payloads it has designed from scratch. The methods additionally present Hornets and different third-party drones a thermal digital camera for missions at evening.
Measuring 71 mm (2.7 in.) and weighing simply 180 g and 195 g (6.3 and 6.8 oz.), respectively, these sensors characteristic an EO digital camera with a zoom functionality of ×40 (×20 optical and ×2 digital), a horizontal subject of view of 60° to three° (optical) and 1.5° (digital), and a decision of 1,280×960 pixels.
Each sensors characteristic a FLIR Boson+ 640 long-wave infrared sensor, which has a decision of 640×512 pixels. The GS-214X makes use of a 14 mm (0.5 in.) lens providing a horizontal subject of view of 32°, and the GS-218X makes use of an 18 mm (0.7 in.) lens providing a horizontal subject of view of 24°.
The light-weight Hornet XR may be hand-launched. Supply: Granta Autonomy
Digital Knowledge Hyperlink works in contested environments
Granta Autonomy stated its proprietary Digital Knowledge Hyperlink (DDL) software program gives frequency ranges of two,300 to three,000 MHz and 4,900 to 7,200 MHz, versatile antenna choices, and improved efficiency in contested environments. The corporate stated DDL ensures that its gimbal integrates with most floor management station (GCS) software program.
The Hornet DDL, which weighs lower than 50 g (1.7 oz.) and consumes lower than 10W throughout lively transmission, can obtain a video transmission vary of 10 km (6.2 mi.), with an omnidirectional antenna and greater than 30 km (18.6 mi.) with a directional antenna.
“The Hornet XR exemplifies our design philosophy, which is rooted within the experience of our army UAV operators and engineers,” stated Guoba. “[It delivers] industry-leading flight time, easy operation, and rugged sturdiness, which brings larger efficiencies, decrease prices, and unmatched reliability to complicated, multi-disciplinary missions.”
“The identical goes for our micro gimbals,” he added. “Once we began, there have been no gimbals in the marketplace for small UAVs like ours. Now, we’re producing the lightest direct-drive gimbals in the marketplace.”
VCs assist Granta protection missions
ScaleWolf VC, a number one Lithuanian dual-use tech enterprise capital fund and accelerator, led the spherical. Brolis Defence and HFL holdings additionally participated.
“Since we met Gediminas and the crew, now we have been impressed by the groundbreaking know-how and imaginative and prescient of the Granta Autonomy crew,” stated Edvinas Kerza, managing associate of ScaleWolf VC and former vice minister of the Lithuanian Ministry of Protection.
“Their revolutionary strategy to growing surveillance and reconnaissance know-how is second to none and has the potential to revolutionize the best way armed forces handle sophisticated and multi-discipline reconnaissance missions,” he added. “We proudly assist their mission and stay up for seeing their autonomous UAVs influence the battlefield over the approaching years.”
Brolis Semiconductors is a Lithuanian protection firm, growing superior electrooptic and laser options for the NATO market since 2011. HFL holding is a personal holding firm led by Lithuanian laser know-how pioneer Dr. Romualdas Danielius, founder and essential shareholder of Mild Conversion.
