UAV-equipped vehicle to debut

Italy’s Iveco/Oto Melara consortium is gearing up to create a splash at this year’s Eurosatory exhibition in France.

The consortium is leading off its product offering displays with introduction of an armored reconnaissance vehicle that launches small unmanned aerial vehicles for beyond-line-of-sight tactical information, which is transmitted to the vehicle commander and retransmitted to others.

The Recce vehicle is a variant of the VBM Feccia, an eight-wheel armed vehicle. The Horus UAVs are fired from compressed air launchers mounted on the vehicle and fuse data collected by sensors into a single tactical report.

Additional information on the system wasn’t immediately available from the consortium, which was formed in 1985. In the partnering, Oto Melara has full responsibility for tracked vehicles, while Iveco is responsible for production of wheeled vehicles. In all vehicles, Oto Melara designs and produces the weapon systems while Iveco designs and produces the hull and automotive components.