Nordic Unmanned UK Ltd announced on December 16th that it received an award for a large quantity of Heimdal sensors and software from its partner and customer, Lockheed Martin UK Ltd. The announcement comes after Lockheed Martin UK Ltd. was awarded the Prime Contract for the TIQUILA drone programme by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The contract covers the production and supply of Heimdal sensors, maintenance and modifications related to the sensor, and other related work on the Lockheed Martin Indago 4 drone. The contract period is 10 years, with expected revenue to exceed EUR 5 million in 2023. Initial contract call-off is expected later this quarter.
The contract work will primarily be delivered by Nordic Unmanned’s subsidiary, AirRobot GmbH & Co. KG. The contract is expected to more than double AirRobot’s revenue for 2023 and will make a significant contribution to the backlog of Nordic Unmanned.
This contract confirms that AirRobot Heimdal is a leading sensor for small drones in the defence market, and we are pleased that Lockheed Martin has made it a preferred solution for its clients. Furthermore, this contract confirms the proven technical capabilities of the Heimdal sensor system, as it is selected and integrated into a second major defence programme this year”, Knut Roar Wiig, CEO Nordic Unmanned.
The Heimdal sensor is a dual Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) sensor, initially developed for AirRobot’s AR-100 drone system sensor, is designed and produced in Germany. It is already integrated with the Lockheed Martin Indago 3 system and will, as a result of this award, be fully integrated into the next-generation Indago 4 drone system.
The Heimdal sensor offers real-time EO/IR fused video images in full HD, allowing the user to identify points of interest in challenging terrains and conditions effortlessly. In addition, the system offers an innovative proprietary temperature-based search mode that displays points of interest in the user-defined temperature range. The system also includes a Laser Range Finder and illuminator.