Granta Autonomy takes off from stealth with seed funding for drone recon – The Robot Report

Conflicts in Ukraine and in other areas maintain elevated hobby in independent techniques for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Drone startup Granta Autonomy on the present time launched that it has successfully accomplished its €1 million ($1.08 million U.S.) seed funding spherical.

The Vilnius, Lithuania-basically basically based mostly firm stated the fresh capital will enable it to bustle up the approach and production of its lightweight uncrewed aerial autos (UAVs) for surveillance and reconnaissance. This would possibly perhaps perhaps also work on micro gimbals and digital Datalink utility, which its group has for my portion tested over Ukraine’s entrance lines.

“The weak battlefield is evolving, and Western armies require sturdy, first fee, and versatile choices,” stated Gediminas Guoba, founder and CEO of Granta Autonomy. “Granta Autonomy is dedicated to creating sure our techniques will even be readily manufactured across Europe, decreasing reliance on external sources.”

“This day’s funding enables us to ramp up our production capability to direct the ravishing-scale deployments Europe wants. Nevertheless, our focal point goes past genuine numbers,” he added. “Our group works directly with infantrymen on the battlefield, finding out our products and utility in combat zones and collaborating on choices that excel in the hardest instances. This battlefield skills, valued by our Western partners, fuels our mission to revolutionize drone reconnaissance for world militaries.”

Granta Autonomy designs UAVs to be first fee

Granta Autonomy has been growing remote-controlled uncrewed plane techniques (UASes), gimbals, and Datalink utility since 2015. Founded by worn military engineers Guoba and Laurynas Litvinas, the firm now affords NATO forces across Europe with its fluctuate of hand-launched Hornet UAVs.

The firm also specializes in integration and parts for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR), as nicely as search and rescue and loitering munitions.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Granta Autonomy started supplying its UAVs to the Ukrainian entrance. This day, the Ukrainian army operates Granta techniques funded by the Lithuanian and other European defense ministries. The firm also affords its skills to NATO forces across Europe.

Its most celebrated UAV, the Hornet XR, is portable and has aspects supposed for covert reconnaissance missions. Its drone incorporates skills and solutions from past units, stated Granta Autonomy.

With a straightforward throw takeoff and a soundless, electrical flight lasting as a lot as 3 hours, the Hornet XR can quilt as a lot as 160 km (ninety nine.4 mi.) undetected, basically basically based mostly on Granta Autonomy. The UAV has a compact wingspan of 1.6 m (62.9 in.), a length of 0.84 m (33 in.), and a weight of simplest 2.9 kg (6.3 lb.). Thus, it would perhaps be fleet launched by hand, taking away the necessity for cumbersome enhance gear, the firm stated.

Pre-programmed missions ensure independent operation, even in radio silence or GNSS-denied environments. The plane can land itself the use of a deep-stall manner, making it easy to retrieve in tight spaces, Granta asserted. The Hornet XR’s compact, modular invent enables for helpful transport in a automobile trunk.

Lightweight micro gimbals support capture photos

Granta Autonomy also affords proprietary micro gimbals, which it claimed are the lightest disclose-force gimbals in the marketplace. The micro gimbals feature a camera system that can capture daylight photos at distances as a lot as 5 km (3.1 mi.).

The firm stated its GS-214X and GS-218X micro gimbal techniques are the fourth generation of gimbal-mounted EO/IR payloads it has designed from scratch. The techniques also present Hornets and other third-celebration drones a thermal camera for missions at night time.

Measuring 71 mm (2.7 in.) and weighing genuine 180 g and 195 g (6.3 and 6.8 oz.), respectively, these sensors feature an EO camera with a zoom functionality of ×40 (×20 optical and ×2 digital), a horizontal field of watch of 60° to 3° (optical) and 1.5° (digital), and a resolution of 1,280×960 pixels.

Both sensors feature a FLIR Boson+ 640 long-wave infrared sensor, which has a resolution of 640×512 pixels. The GS-214X uses a 14 mm (0.5 in.) lens providing a horizontal field of watch of 32°, and the GS-218X uses an 18 mm (0.7 in.) lens providing a horizontal field of watch of 24°.

Digital Recordsdata Hyperlink works in contested environments

Granta Autonomy stated its proprietary Digital Recordsdata Hyperlink (DDL) utility affords frequency ranges of two,300 to 3,000 MHz and 4,900 to 7,200 MHz, versatile antenna choices, and improved efficiency in contested environments. The firm stated DDL ensures that its gimbal integrates with most ground abet an eye on situation (GCS) utility.

The Hornet DDL, which weighs less than 50 g (1.7 oz.) and consumes less than 10W during active transmission, can enact a video transmission fluctuate of 10 km (6.2 mi.), with an omnidirectional antenna and bigger than 30 km (18.6 mi.) with a directional antenna.

“The Hornet XR exemplifies our invent philosophy, which is rooted in the skills of our military UAV operators and engineers,” stated Guoba. “[It delivers] alternate-leading flight time, straightforward operation, and rugged durability, which brings higher efficiencies, decrease charges, and unmatched reliability to advanced, multi-disciplinary missions.”

“The an identical goes for our micro gimbals,” he added. “When we started, there maintain been no gimbals on the marketplace for cramped UAVs like ours. Now, we are producing the lightest disclose-force gimbals in the marketplace.”

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VCs enhance Granta defense missions

ScaleWolf VC, a number one Lithuanian dual-use tech mission capital fund and accelerator, led the spherical. Brolis Defence and HFL holdings also participated.

“Since we met Gediminas and the group, now we maintain been impressed by the groundbreaking skills and vision of the Granta Autonomy group,” stated Edvinas Kerza, managing accomplice of ScaleWolf VC and worn vice minister of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

“Their innovative technique to growing surveillance and reconnaissance skills is 2nd to none and has the functionality to revolutionize the manner militia situation up subtle and multi-discipline reconnaissance missions,” he added. “We proudly enhance their mission and reflect about forward to seeing their independent UAVs affect the battlefield over the arrival years.”

Brolis Semiconductors is a Lithuanian defense firm, growing developed electrooptic and laser choices for the NATO market since 2011. HFL maintaining is a non-public maintaining firm led by Lithuanian laser skills pioneer Dr. Romualdas Danielius, founder and significant shareholder of Light Conversion.