|
|
October 16, 2012
DRS Technologies Teams With Kairos Autonomi, Inc. to Produce and Support Moving Land Targets
DRS Technologies, Inc. a Finmeccanica Company, announced
its Sustainment Systems division has teamed with Kairos Autonomi, Inc. to jointly market, produce and
support autonomous and semi-autonomous moving land targets for advanced aircraft training for U.S.
and international military customers.
The partnership will leverage Kairos’ Pronto4Robotic Appliqué Kit operate-by-wire technology, which
converts manned vehicles into optionally unmanned vehicles with the ability to operate either by teleoperation,
semi-autonomously or autonomously. Coupled with DRS’ U.S. and international reach,
program management, manufacturing, field service support and logistics capability, the team is positioned
well with the technology, skills and resources to provide enhanced and more realistic pilot training
scenarios for ground targets at substantially lower cost than currently available in the market.
“Providing air forces with more realistic and robust ground training scenarios will substantially increase
the effectiveness of pilots and enhance the safety of ground forces. Kairos’ unique drive-by-wire
technology and proven success in the unmanned systems market, coupled with DRS’ capabilities in
intelligent systems and global customer reach offers a cost-effective way to improve the training of military
forces around the world,” says Joseph Matteoni, vice president and general manager of DRS
Sustainment Systems, Inc. “We look forward to bringing the best of our two companies together to assist
our U.S. and international customers and war fighters in fielding the best training solutions in the world.”
Currently operating under a program of record with the U.S. Navy and programs with several international
customers, Kairos has already begun penetrating the moving land targets market. Kairos’ Pronto4 is a
market leader in large vehicle robotic systems worldwide. Employing unique, proprietary technology,
Kairos is able to create robotic solutions from ordinary ground vehicles in a matter of hours through its
unique hardware and software interfaces into existing vehicle systems. This capability creates the
possibility of converting existing vehicles in inventory into advanced targeting platforms for aircraft training
and providing real-time feedback on pilot performance, all at a fraction of the cost of existing training
methods and technologies.
“The Pronto4 is the most widely used robotic appliqué kit for full-size vehicles in the world by volume,”
says Troy Takach, President of Kairos Autonomi. “We believe this agreement with DRS will further our
goal of providing capable and cost-effective robotic technologies to a wide range of applications
worldwide.”
DRS Technologies Inc. is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military
forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Finmeccanica SpA (FNC.MI), which employs approximately 70,000 people worldwide. For more
information about DRS Technologies, please visit the company’s website at www.drs.com.
Kairos Autonomi, Inc. is a world leader in Robotic Appliqué Kits and emphasizes simplicity, costeffectiveness
and reliability with its product offering. The Pronto4 Robotic Appliqué Kit is an add-on
vehicle autonomy system that provides unmanned capabilities to current manned vehicles, rendering
them optionally unmanned. Kairos is a pioneer in the unmanned vehicle industry and has commercialized
its products to be reliable and successful. Kairos’ technology is being used in military, security and
industrial applications. For more information, please visit www.kairosautonomi.com.
For additional information please contact:
Joseph Militano
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs and Communications
(703) 236-4659
jmilitano@drs.com
Thomas Grover
Communications and Marketing Director
Kairos Autonomi, Inc.
(801) 318-1289
thomas_grover@kairosautonomi.com
|