Ukraine has signed a contract with Quantum Systems several hundred Vector reconnaissance drones since the start of the war. How are the drones being used? And how are findings from the war being incorporated into the further development of the product? An interview with Managing Director and Chief Sales Officer Sven Kruck.
Mr. Kruck, your company is a prime example of how civilian technology is increasingly being used for military purposes. How do you deal with this?
We are a dual-use company. We produce hardware, software and AI components for commercial customers as well as for government agencies and the military. At the beginning of the year, we discussed the topic of dual use intensively in a strategy project and highlighted clear advantages for us as a company, but above all for our heterogeneous customer groups.
In what way?
Our military customers, for example, benefit from short innovation cycles and the speed of our development. At the same time, we offer our commercial customers field-proven and extremely robust systems for their projects in the world of surveying. https://militaeraktuell.at/oesterreich-staerkt-seine-luftverteidigung-nachhaltig/
Quantum Systems drones are also being used in the war in Ukraine. How many drones are involved and what tasks do they perform?
Our drones have been in use in Ukraine since May 2022. By the end of 2024, we will have delivered several hundred systems to Ukraine. The tasks of our drones are to provide aerial reconnaissance and surveillance, reconnaissance targets and intelligent live data, which is then used for fire control support and battle damage assessment after data transmission to the battle management systems.
What conclusions can be drawn from this for further development? Are adjustments planned or already implemented?
The learning process is extremely important. We are in daily contact with the operators in the war zone and with our Service Support Training and Logistic Center on site in Ukraine and receive direct feedback on our systems. The resulting and necessary adjustments are constantly being made. These adjustments relate not only to the hardware, but also to the software and the autopilot. For example, we recently introduced an optical flow sensor that enables take-off and landing with millimeter precision without GNSS data.
Let’s take a look into the future: Drones are already performing many military tasks. Will these developments continue? Will drones become even more important in future conflicts?
Yes, the development will continue. Drones will play a major role in future conflicts. This means that armed forces will need to have this capability in the future. On the one hand, in the breadth of all types of troops as a supporting element, and on the other hand also in the depth as a separate type of troop and special capability. In terms of implementation, this requires: the drone asset, the troop units and training centers and, above all, an understanding of modern combat management and an understanding of four-dimensional space. The topics of swarming and AI technology will represent new deployment options for drones.
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