The latest news regarding the Omen drone is that the US defense tech firm Anduril and the UAE's state-owned defense conglomerate EDGE Group have formed a joint venture to co-develop and manufacture the AI-powered drone in the United Arab Emirates.
Omen drone based on the latest information:
- The Omen drone is a tail-sitting vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system (UAS), developed by Anduril in partnership with the EDGE Group in the UAE.
- It belongs to the U.S. military's Group 3 drone category, which includes drones weighing between 55 and 1,320 pounds, capable of flying at altitudes between 3,500 and 18,000 feet, with top speeds from 100 to 250 knots (around 115-290 mph).
- The drone is about 3 meters (10 feet) tall standing in its tail-sitting position, with long slender wings and canard foreplanes, and a twin-boom tail design.
- The propulsion system is hybrid-electric: a gasoline-powered generator charges onboard batteries that power electric propulsors. This gives Omen extended flight endurance and the ability to hover for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks, while also enabling faster dash speeds compared to pure battery-electric drones.
- It can switch between two flight modes: hover like a helicopter or drone, and airplane-style forward flight for longer endurance and higher speed missions.
- The Omen drone carries three to five times the payload of typical Group 3 drones, which usually carry 25 to 50 pounds. This enables carrying multiple sensors like synthetic aperture radar (SAR), electro-optical (EO) sensors, electronic warfare payloads, and potentially munitions.
- It is designed for modularity and an open-architecture system allowing integration of diverse payloads for military missions like maritime patrol, air defense sensing, communication relay, and logistics, as well as civilian missions such as disaster relief, search and rescue, and communication restoration.
- Omen has a foldable frame for easy transport and deployment by a two-person team without specialized infrastructure, allowing rapid launch from remote or austere locations including forest clearings, rooftops, or naval vessels.
- Its endurance is said to be three to four times greater than current Group 3 drones, with operational ranges suitable for remote mission theaters such as the Indo-Pacific region.
- The drone can operate in coordinated swarms using Anduril’s Lattice AI autonomy software, which enables real-time data sharing, route adaptation, and complex swarm behaviors for extended sensor coverage.
- The initial production and assembly facility is in Abu Dhabi, with a first order of 50 units for UAE forces, emphasizing local production and supply chains.
This makes the Omen a versatile, powerful, hybrid-electric VTOL drone with enhanced endurance, payload, and modularity to serve across military and civilian applications.
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