The U.S. Army Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aviation’s Project Manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence to identify and prototype new drone capabilities with commercial companies that specialize in on-demand, “eye in the sky” technologies. In this process, the U.S. Army is partnering with the Pentagon’s internal startup accelerator to adapt small commercial drones for the battlefield.
Parrot, the leading European drone group, is one of the 6 companies[1] that have met the standards set in the solicitation issued in November 2018[2] to develop and prototype the next generation of small-unit surveillance drone.
The Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) effort has recently awarded $11 million in funding to six companies to prototype and evaluate drones that can provide the Soldier on the ground with a rapidly deployable scouting capability to gain situational awareness beyond the next terrain feature. The drones would be expected to fly for 30 minutes straight at a range of up to three kilometers, according to the original solicitation. Officials also specified the aircraft should weigh three pounds or less, take less than 2 minutes to assemble and fit inside a soldier’s standard-issue rucksack.
“Parrot is proud to have been selected by the Army to work on this highly strategic project,” said Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. “The United States has always been a major market for the Parrot Group whether it is for our well-known consumer range or our advanced professional offering. We have always been at the forefront creating advanced, easy to use, compact and reliable drone-based solutions. We also perfectly understand how small unmanned aircraft, such as the Parrot ANAFI platform, has the potential to become a key part of the defense system. We look forward to focusing our advanced R&D on meeting the high standards set by the U.S. Army, to integrate drone efficiency in their day to day operations and support the world leading army defense system”.
Parrot has been the first company to develop the civil drone market and to invest, earlier than any other, in commercial drone solutions creating the leading European drone group. This contract underlines the technological innovations and premier position Parrot has in the global drone market and the excellence of the company’s researches and developments and is testament to Parrot’s global strategy and positioning, particularly in the commercial and Defense & Security drone development.
About Parrot
Founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux, Parrot is today the leading European group in the fast-growing industry of drones. Visionary, at the forefront of innovation, Parrot is a real ‘End to End’ drone group from hardware and software to services.
Parrot, the world’s number 2 of the consumer drone market, designs drones known for their high performance and ease of use.
Parrot is also offering business solutions, covering drones, software and services mainly focusing on 3 major verticals: (i) Agriculture, (ii) 3D Mapping, Surveying and Inspection and (iii) Public safety.
The Parrot Group designs and engineers its products in Europe, mainly in France and Switzerland. It currently employs 600 people worldwide and makes the majority of its sales outside of France. Parrot, headquartered in Paris, is listed on Euronext Paris (FR0004038263 – PARRO).
For more information: www.parrot.com
About Army’s PEO Aviation
The Program Executive Office for Aviation is the Army manager for nine project offices including: Apache Helicopters, Aviation Systems, Cargo Helicopters, Utility Helicopters, Improved Turbine Engine, Future Vertical Lift, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Fixed Wing Aircraft and Multinational Aviation Special Projects. The organization’s primary responsibility is to Serve Soldiers and our nation by Designing, Developing, Delivering and Supporting advanced aviation capabilities for operational commanders and our allies.
About DIU
The Defense Innovation Unit accelerates the adoption of commercial technology into the U.S. military to strengthen national security.
