Evolve Dynamics secures antipodean SKY MANTIS 2 contract
Above: Demonstration of SKY MANTIS 2 in Canberra, Australia, March 2024.
Courtesy Evolve Dynamics
The news comes off the back of the agreement signed between Evolve Dynamics and Criterion Solutions earlier this year, which has seen the latter add SKY MANTIS 2 UAS to its customer offering across the police, security and defence sectors in the two countries.
For customers of Evolve Dynamics’ technology in Australia and New Zealand, Criterion Solutions will also offer enduring customer service, incorporating vital in-country training, support and repairs.
Delivering value to government agency operations in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), the newly-launched SKY MANTIS 2 offers resilience, power and imaging capabilities, complemented by the extreme weather operability. The platform has a Doodle Labs Helix Mesh Rider Radio integrated as standard, bringing the benefit of extensive frontline testing to deliver resilience.
Defence customers choosing SKY MANTIS 2 can benefit from a range of interchangeable ISR payloads, including MWIR thermal zoom, 61MP HD camera, LWIR thermal zoom and RF Scanner. Payloads such as these enable customers to augment situational awareness capabilities across a variety of operational scenarios.
Evolve Dynamics’ Simulator is also a popular choice for customers across defence, public safety and industry, allowing new and existing pilots to train in a synthetic environment with conditions replicating the real world, including extreme weather such as rain and wind. Operated with the actual SKY MANTIS 2 ground control station and with simulated gimbal video going back to the controller screen, the experience is hard to distinguish from the real one. With this, pilots can build and maintain competency with zero risk and lower cost than operating a real system and with custom mission packs, they can also train for advanced missions including landing on a vessel.
Evolve Dynamics CEO Mike Dewhirst said: “The first order of the SKY MANTIS 2 aircraft in Australia is exciting news. This industry-leading uncrewed systems technology will bring significant value to the customer for their defence operations, partnered with comprehensive support delivered by Criterion Solutions.”
Criterion Solutions’ Director, Andrew Windsor commented: “The inaugural delivery of the SKY MANTIS 2 to this new customer market is a landmark moment. We’re excited to be working with Evolve Dynamics, as we continue to support them in bringing this industry-leading sUAS capability to defence, security and police customers across Australia and New Zealand.”
