Maxar Intelligence, an American company, and Swedish aerospace giant Saab have signed an agreement to create and test a navigation system that will not rely on satellite signals. It will be used to control military drones.
Maxar and Saab deal
Maxar Intelligence has announced an agreement with Swedish aerospace company Saab to develop military intelligence systems that use satellite data, including Maxar’s new terrain-based navigation technology that allows drones to operate without access to GPS.
The news may come as a surprise to those who believe that Saab is all about cars, and Maxar is all about taking photos of the surface from orbit. The former is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of combat aircraft, and Maxar Intelligence has begun not only to collect images but also to obtain 3D terrain models from them.
Drones
In fact, the main thing Saab is looking for is the Raptor system developed by Maxar. The system is designed to guide drones on the ground and uses detailed 3D models based on Maxar’s satellite imagery. Instead of using satellite signals, a Raptor-equipped drone compares real-time camera images with a pre-existing 3D terrain model to determine its position and orientation.
Saab has already tested Raptor technology in a recent military exercise. “Our collaboration with Maxar is a significant step forward in our commitment to utilize information from the space domain”, said Gergen Johansson, Business Leader, Saab Dynamics.
The details of the Raptor-based product are rather vague. Saab only mentions that it is a swarm based on artificial intelligence. However, it remains a mystery what size class we are talking about.
It is clear that the root cause of all this is the Russian-Ukrainian war, and it has shown the effectiveness of small devices and the vulnerability of any data transmission channels based on radio transmissions. The Raptor technology was developed as a way to get rid of dependence on GPS. But then it is unclear what the “swarm” has to do with it, since it involves a constant exchange of data packets that can be intercepted or blocked by the enemy.
Provided by: spacenews.com
