To say there is a lot of competition in the drone industry is putting it mildly. Hundreds of drone manufacturers compete for a limited number of military contracts. The latest weapon of the week from Performance Drone Works (PDW) has a few key highlights that make it stand out from the rest of the pack.
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At first glance, the C-100 drone looks very similar to a drone on a big box store’s shelves. However, a closer look reveals that the C-100 is a much more versatile piece of technology.
Performance Drone Works calls the C-100 “The Ultimate Force Multiplier.” The drone can gather intel, carry payloads and also deliver munitions with precision with a first-person view (FPV) camera.
“FPV is a whole new style of of munition delivery, where a pilot has very finite control of exactly where that munition can be placed,” Ryan Gury, the CEO and co-founder of PDW, said. “When that can be placed, you can stand off but a great while identify targets, you can hit pieces of armor or exactly where they’re vulnerable. And just last week, we heard from the generals in Ukraine that FPV is now out-surpassing artillery and small arms for anti-personnel and anti-armor.”
Gury and his team designed the C-100 with Drone Racing League technology in mind after the performance capability of those drones caught the eye of the special forces community. The C-100 uses AI assisted software that helps it think around enemy systems. That technology also helps keep soldiers safer on the battlefield.
“Drones that you can use from your body, from your rucksack, drones to be used on a frontline really do extend the frontline, beyond humans and into sensors and robotics and really keep the warfighter at safety,” Gury said.
That mindset helped PDW find its place in the military drone marketplace. Earlier this year, the U.S. Special Operations Force’s Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics Office granted the Alabama-based startup a $6.9 million contract for their black wave radio system. PDW designed the system to keep drones and communications systems resistant to jamming signals from enemy forces.
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Tags: Drone Racing League, Drones, Special operations forces, U.S. military, United States Special Operations Command
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
TIME NOW FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, AND TO SAY THERE IS A LOT OF COMPETITION IN THE DRONE INDUSTRY IS PUTTING IT MILDLY. HOW COMPETITIVE IS IT YOU MIGHT WONDER, JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
THIS 2022 INFOGRAPHIC FROM DRONE INDUSTRY INSIGHTS SHOWS JUST HOW MANY COMPANIES ARE IN THE RACE FOR A PIECE OF THE MARKET.
TO SURVIVE IN A FIELD THAT COMPETITIVE COMPANIES NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO STAND OUT FROM THE PACK. FOR PERFORMANCE DRONE WORKS, THAT’S THE C-100.
AT FIRST GLANCE IT DOESN’T LOOK ALL THAT DIFFERENT FROM A DRONE YOU MIGHT FIND ON THE SHELF AT A BIG BOX STORE. BUT ON CLOSER INSPECTION THE C-100 BRINGS A LOT OF VERSATILITY TO THE TABLE. P-D-W MARKETS IT AS “THE ULTIMATE FORCE MULTIPLIER”, PUTTING THE ABILITY TO GATHER INTEL, CARRY A PAYLOAD, OR DELIVER MUNITIONS WITH PRECISION, RIGHT IN THE OPERATOR’S HANDS WITH FIRST-PERSON VIEW.
[RYAN GURY]
“FPV is a whole new style of of munition delivery, where a pilot has, you know, very finite control of exactly where that munition can be placed. And when that can be placed, you can stand off but a great while identify targets, you can hit pieces of armor or exactly where they’re vulnerable. And just last week, we heard from the generals in Ukraine that FPV is now outsurpassing artillery and small arms for anti-personnel and anti-armor. You know, we believe this combat system is just the next era of defense. And, you know, we’re really excited to participate and push that ball forward.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
C-E-O AND CO-FOUNDER RYAN GURY BRINGS A UNIQUE BACKGROUND TO THE TABLE.
AS CO-FOUNDER OF THE DRONE RACING LEAGUE HE KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT DEVELOPING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE PACKAGE.
[Drone Racing League]
“DRL is defining 21st-century sport. Immersing fans with high-tech and high-speed competition across all dimensions!”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES OF THE D-R-L DRONES SOON GARNERED THE INTEREST OF THE SPECIAL FORCES COMMUNITY, AND IT DIDN’T TAKE GURY LONG TO SEE THERE WAS A MILITARY NEED FOR THEIR TECH. CAPABLE OF AUTONOMOUS OPERATIONS, P-D-W SAYS THE C-100 IS POWERED BY A-I-ASSISTED SOFTWARE, MAKING IT A PLATFORM THAT CAN THINK FOR ITSELF AND AROUND ENEMY SYSTEMS.
[RYAN GURY]
“We have a flight envelope that is quite large, you know, we can host payloads from 10 to 15 pounds depending on figure configuration, and we can fly those, you know, payloads for up to 34 minutes. So full weight, if you just want to fly a single camera and get to 74 minutes. And you know, that flight envelope is critical to making this a successful product, because this product is is, you know, intended to be compatible with every system, every payload in its class.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FROM VARIOUS MUNITIONS TO AN ARRAY OF CAMERAS AND SENSORS, THIS MULTI-MISSION PLATFORM BRINGS VERSATILITY TO THE BATTLESPACE. SO MUCH SO THAT GURY HAS DESCRIBED THE C-100 AS AIR SUPPORT FOR THE SINGLE SOLDIER IN A BACKPACK.
[RYAN GURY]
“Drones that you can use from your body from your rucksack drones to be used on a frontline really do extend the frontline, beyond humans and into sensors and robotics and really keep the warfighter at safety.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IT’S THAT KIND OF MINDSET THAT’S HELPING P-D-W FIND ITS PLACE IN A VERY CROWDED MARKETPLACE.
EARLIER THIS YEAR THE U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES ACQUISITIONS, TECHNOLOGY, AND LOGISTICS OFFICE AWARDED THE ALABAMA STARTUP A $6.9 MILLION CONTRACT FOR THEIR BLACK WAVE RADIO SYSTEM THAT’S DESIGNED TO KEEP THEIR DRONES, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, RESISTANT TO JAMMING FROM ENEMY FORCES.
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