Land Forces 2024: Innovaero wins contract to accelerate OWL B development
The Innovaero OWL B precision munition is being designed to loiter for 30 minutes at a range of 100 km, or reach a maximum range of about 200 km. (BAE Systems)
The Australian government and Innovaero have signed a contract to accelerate the development of the company's One-Way Loitering B (OWL B) precision munition.
The contract, which Innovaero announced on 12 September at the Land Forces 2024 defence exposition in Melbourne, Australia, will move the OWL B programme âinto a third phase in the developmentâ, according to the company. The defence show was held from 11 to 13 September.
This phase comprises the manufacturing, testing, âand evaluation of the capability to further refine [the OWL B's] performance, reliability, and interoperability with existing Australian Defence Force (ADF) assetsâ, the company said in a press release.
The third phase is expected to build on a series of live-fire tests that Innovaero, Australian agencies, and the Australian Army oversaw in 2023â24. During this testing, the system âcompleted successful flight tests and payload integrationâ, the company said.
According to Innovaero CEO Marcus Colman, the ânew phase builds on these successful tests and positions us to deliver a combat-ready system that meets the evolving needs of modern warfareâ.
The third phase is also expected to accelerate the OWL B programme âtowards operational readinessâ, according to Innovaero, which added that the phase would involve the ârigorous testing of new unitsâ.
The electrically propelled OWL B can be launched by catapult or pneumatically, when stored, with wings folded in a 2 m canister. Images of the loitering munition released by BAE Systems (which is a shareholder in Innovaero) shows that the munition is powered by a T Motors AT7215 KV220 brushless motor, weighing 565 g.
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