Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced it has acquired the portfolio of assets and intellectual property related to the Voly-50 and Voly-T series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by Volansi.
With the acquisition, SNC is aiming to improve its multi-role, long-haul, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) platform offer, especially in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) domain.
With the close of the deal, SNC also acquired Volansi’s production facility in Bend, Oregon and retained key personnel.
The Voly-50 and Voly-T series of infrastructure-independent aerial drones can take off and land vertically, leveraging the sky for unlimited possibilities and endless connections.
SNC plans to integrate the Voly UAVs with its open architecture systems and ISR capabilities to offer a rapidly deployable unmanned ISR VTOL solution for multi-domain operations. The company says the UAVs are built for endurance, with the ability to handle heavy payloads, while a turnkey ISR system would give users the ability to see, track and understand the battlespace more completely.
According to Volansi, the Voly-50 has the ability to simultaneously carry up to 50 pounds of cargo, including an ISR or sensor payload option. Depending on payload configurations, the UAV has a 400+ mile range and can cruise at up to 80 kts for up to eleven hours in a single mission set.
Unveiling the UAV earlier this year, Volansi said it planned for the Voly-50 to be in low-rate production in 2023.
“SNC is committed to delivering a future unmanned system with the payload, range and endurance that our military needs,” said Tim Owings executive vice president of SNC’s Mission Solutions and Technologies (MST) business area. “Adding the Volansi capabilities to the existing SNC portfolio was a perfect fit. Our complementary technologies will create a world where mission-tailored VTOL drones make it possible to support any industry, to deliver anything, anywhere, anytime.”
SNC plans to also leverage the expertise of its subsidiary, Kutta Technologies Inc., which will contribute to the redundancy and durability required to complete DOD missions by ensuring DO-178 compliance and adherence to interoperability standards.
“SNC wanted to keep the dream alive by bringing to fruition the ability to support both ISR and humanitarian aid missions, reaching locations that were once unreachable to deliver survival kits, blankets, food, and water,” said Josh Walsh, vice president of programs for SNC’s MST business area. “The Volansi systems are unique because they offer the military a new generation of flexible UAVs that provide long-haul aircraft with superior flight range, flexible payload capacity and the ability to fly beyond visual line of sight.”
