recently,USADefense contractorsAnduril Industries has announced the launch of two new autonomous aerial vehicles, the Bolt and the Bolt-M. These drones are equipped with advanced artificial intelligence technology and are being touted as easy to operate and extremely precise, aiming to change the way traditional drones are used.
The Bolt is a reconnaissance drone with a maximum flight range of more than 20 kilometers, an endurance of more than 45 minutes, and weighs about 5.4 kilograms.According to Anduril, this drone is not only suitable for reconnaissance, but it can also play an important role in search and rescue missions. It is designed to reduce the burden of manual operations for operators, allowing them to focus more on decision-making and less on tedious navigation.
The Bolt-M, on the other hand, is an unmanned aerial weapon system (UAS) aimed at ground forces, designed to provide a "simple, flexible and lethal precision strike" capability. It flies similarly to the Bolt, but weighs between 5.9 and 6.8 kilograms, depending on the payload.Anduril emphasizes that the Bolt-M's ability to strike from any angle, including striking a target with pinpoint accuracy from directly above, is a great advantage in complex environments.
Both drones are equipped with advanced computer vision and machine learning software that enables the operator to track a target from a set safe distance and maintain tracking even if the target is obscured.Anduril further noted that the design of these drones makes them easy to maneuver, quick to deploy, and require very little training time to operate.
Anduril has extensive experience in military and surveillance technology, having previously launched the Anvil drone, which is capable of autonomously identifying and attacking targets. In addition, its Ghost surveillance drone has been used extensively by the U.S. military. Today, Anduril is also involved in the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Fighter Program, which is focused on developing highly autonomous drones to operate in conjunction with manned aircraft in the future.