Drone Aviation completes delivery of enhanced WASP XL tactical aerostat system to defense contractor

Drone Aviation Holding Corp. (“DAC” or “Drone Aviation”), Jacksonville, FL-based manufacturer of tethered drones and lighter-than-air aerostats, announced October 15 that it has delivered two of its enhanced Winch Aerostat Small Platform (“WASP XL”) aerostat systems under an order placed by a specialized defense contractor customer in May 2015.

The delivery included two custom-engineered WASP XL aerostat systems and supporting equipment designed to accommodate larger payloads such as an L-3 Wescam MX-10 advanced optical sensor system to be provided by the customer. The WASP XL systems are designed to provide customers with mission critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (“ISR”) capabilities.

Jay Nussbaum, Chairman of Drone Aviation Holding Corp., said, “The WASP XL is the result of a specialized engineering collaboration with our defense contractor partner to enhance the versatility of our tactical aerostat platforms with the ability to utilize specialized payloads such as the MX-10. Thanks to advanced payload integration, the WASP line of tactical aerostats continues to demonstrate their ability to cost-effectively deliver enhanced ISR capabilities in support of critical monitoring operations.”

The WASP is a highly tactical and mobile aerostat system that provides ISR and communications range extension beyond that of normal tactical relay antennas. The U.S. Army-owned WASP systems have successfully completed operations in a series of Army Network Integration Experiments (NIEs) and have been utilized by the U.S. Army as a tactical battlefield solution that can support soldiers on the ground. Operating at ten times the height of the tallest U.S. Army tower system, the WASP system can significantly extend the range of communications in remote and austere locations. The soldier-operated systems can be rapidly configured to support a variety of mission requirements for days, weeks or months with customized payloads, including voice and data communications and day/night video.

Source: Drone Aviation Holding Corp.