Login
iscover
High power laser manufacturer AIM Defence will supply an additional two counter-drone Fractl units to the Australian Defence Force under a new $4.8 million agreement.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Earlier this year, the ADF’s first directed energy systems contract was awarded to AIM Defence following a series of successful military trials and demonstrations of the portable, counter drone “hard kill” system at the Puckapunyal weapons test range.
Australian Defence has now purchased an additional two Fractl counter-drone systems, rapidly accelerating the ADF’s counter-drone capability and validating the effectiveness of AIM’s cutting-edge technology.
“This latest ADF acquisition will allow all three systems to be networked and used in tactical scenarios to track a single drone simultaneously, or combat multiple aerial threats,” AIM Defence co-CEO Dr Jae Daniel said.
The purchase follows AIM’s recent award of first place at the Canadian counter-drone sandbox where Fractl was shown off to global allies and NATO member states.
Under the latest contract, AIM Defence will deliver maintenance support and future software and hardware upgrades for all three Fractl units taken into service.
Army personnel will also be trained by AIM Defence in the safe operation of the Fractl system, which is deployed from a ruggedised case and operated remotely using a handheld console. Army’s field testing of the Fractl system will provide important feedback directly from operators to enable ongoing system refinement.
AIM Defence is continuing to ramp up its manufacturing capacity with the goal of producing 10 Fractl units in the next 12 months at its 4,000-square metre manufacturing facility in Melbourne with an ultimate capacity expected to be over 100 units per year.
“AIM’s ongoing partnership with the ADF has allowed Australia to become one of the world leaders in the research, manufacture, and fielding of tactical directed energy systems,” AIM Defence co-CEO Jessica Glenn said.
