U.S. drone manufacturer PDW has launched a new drone system for production this week, hoping to offer militaries a cost-effective option in aerial warfare.
The Attritable Multirotor FPV, announced by PDW on Tuesday, is a small, cost-effective, customizable drone designed for use on complex battlefields. PDW said successful drone systems must be attritable, or expendable and affordable.
“In this new era of warfare, the name of the game is delivering increased lethality, manufactured at scale for minimal investment. We’re doing just that,” PDW co-founder and CEO Ryan Gury said.
The AM-FPV system reportedly allows for several different mission types, which makes it potentially attractive for military and police customers. The drone can be programmed for precision strikes on enemy vehicles or personnel and excels at surveillance and reconnaissance, PDW said.
The company also noted that the system is quick and easy to assemble, taking just 120 seconds without tools. PDW said that feature makes the system particularly useful for ground troops in intense and evolving combat situations.
The AM-FPV drone is customizable, with detachable arms, a universal mount and flexible light systems for various environments.
“To put it simply, our customers want quality, hardened, reliable systems at scale. It’s our duty to ensure we exceed these requirements. We’ve continually refined and flown our FPV to its limits to ensure failure isn’t an option when it gets in the hands of our warfighters,” Mr. Gury said.
PDW’s AM-FPV drone represents a shift from their previous focus on larger military drones. Its previous flagship product was the C100 Heavy-Lift Quadcopter, designed for rapid short-range transport of small payloads.
The company’s shift to smaller, attritable drones underscores an increasing demand for cheap and reliable drones on the world’s battlefields. In Ukraine specifically, drone warfare has become a staple. In that conflict, both Ukraine and Russia have opted for cheaper suicide drones with FPV capabilities for large-scale drone strikes.
