Today, the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) signed a framework agreement for the procurement of a new unmanned reconnaissance system for the special forces of the German Army. The project called “Remotely Piloted Reconnaissance System, Airborne, Short Range” (FALKE for short) enables the procurement of unmanned aircraft systems of the commercially available type “Vector VTOL” including training for the operating personnel by the industry. With the contractor Quantum Systems GmbH the delivery of 14 systems has been contractually agreed, starting in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The Bundeswehr (-> here you can find the latest Bundeswehr news) will in future have a system that can be deployed quickly and independently for precise reconnaissance over a distance of up to 30 kilometers or a flight duration of up to three hours. Thanks to the integrated combined sensor with optical and infrared camera, it can be used in all climate zones, regardless of the time of day.
The procurement was prepared and implemented in line with the accelerated procurement procedure. Supported by the Procurement Task Force and the technical supervisors at the BMVg, a competitive award procedure was selected; in this case, the best way to ensure both rapid procurement and optimal use of market-based instruments. In this way, the innovative capacity of medium-sized industry was taken into account and also served to achieve an optimum price-performance ratio. Thanks to the close cooperation between the BAAINBw, the UAS competence center of the Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 61 in Manching and the special forces of the army as the future user, it was possible to implement the procurement with the conclusion of the contract in well under a year after the allocation of budget funds. https://militaeraktuell.at/das-bundesheer-entscheidet-sich-fuer-die-embraer-c-390/ The Aladin and Mikado unmanned reconnaissance systems (UAS) already in use in the Bundeswehr serve to support reconnaissance and combat troops. They are designed for temporally and spatially limited reconnaissance and surveillance up to a maximum range of five kilometers. With the procurement of the FALKE reconnaissance system, the special forces are now receiving a reconnaissance system that is optimized for their operational spectrum and meets the requirements in terms of range, flight time and sensor capability.
Here for further news from Quantum Systems and here to further reports about the Bundeswehr.
