Drones

US military turns to Parrot to help develop new reconnaissance drones

Parrot has earned a contract with the US Department of Defense to adapt its technology for military surveillance
Parrot
Parrot has earned a contract with the US Department of Defense to adapt its technology for military surveillance
Parrot

Parrot had quite a presence in the world of consumer drones a few years back, starting out as a purveyor of playful toy drones and working its way into the prosumer realm. Though it hasn't reached the heights of some drone companies in terms of popularity, its expertise has seen it earn a contract with the US Department of Defense to adapt its technology for military surveillance.

The French company is actually one of six awardees for the US Army's Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) project, which aims to develop new prototype drones that its soldiers can easily deploy for an aerial perspective of the battlefield. The other companies are Skydio, Altavian, Teal Drones, Vantage Robotics and Lumenier.

These firms will share US$11 million and move ahead with the development of small surveillance drones designed to help out soldiers on the ground. These drones are required be capable of flying for 30 minutes at a time, up to three km (1.86 mi) away, weigh three lb (1.36 kg) or less, take two minutes to assemble and be able to fit into a soldier's rucksack.

"We look forward to focusing our advanced R&D on meeting the high standards set by the US Army, to integrate drone efficiency in their day to day operations and support the world leading army defense system," said Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot.

Source: Parrot

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6 comments
guzmanchinky
Doesn't my Mavic Air already do all that?
Smokey_Bear
guzman, yes, yes it does. But these ones will cost 5 times as much and have a US Army sticker on them. lol I would assume this contract has more to do with the software (encryption).
You have an awesome drone, it was to pricey for me, last year I bought a Parrot Bebop 2, it's a lot of fun to fly, but the camera isn't very impressive.
ChairmanLMAO
way to make killing people fun and easy, thanks parrot
flyerfly
I don't think the DJI consumer drones have 30 min. None of them do. Some advertise that they are close but in real life testing they do not get that kind of flight time. This is one BIG difference between military stuff and consumer stuff...you better be able to prove it will do what you say or you failed the contract. Marketing hype is not part of the process...real performance is. Lets just hope that they have good software so that the enemy does not simply take control of them and steal them...like the RQ-170.
mediabeing
Oh yeah, that's what we should be doing, handing out millions to (mainly) defunct drone companies in France. Lol!! UNbelievable. This must be another 'benefit' of traitor Trump's administration. Yeah, let's turn our backs on the fine American companies. Way to go, traitor Trump!
ljaques
4 out of the 5 companies who tried out for it are American, yet all you hear is anti-American, anti-Trump rhetoric about the French company that got in. AFAIC, if they have special tech which can help protect and inform our soldiers in the field, give it a chance! I can't see how noisy drones could be of use (without giving away their position) but I'm out of the military strategy loop. LOL.
Note to sug: recon drones, not killer nuke drones, dude.