Australia fields Vector AI surveillance UAV
An Australian Army soldier lands a Vector AI UAV during Exercise ‘Southern Jackaroo 2026'. (Commonwealth of Australia)
The Australian Army has begun operating the Vector AI fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) acquired from German firm Quantum Systems, with the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) describing the platform on 8 July as the service's “newest” surveillance UAV.
The UAV was deployed to detect and identify targets during Exercise ‘Southern Jackaroo 2026', a trilateral exercise involving the armies of Australia, Japan, and the United States held in Australia between 29 May and 3 July.
Vector AI can map environments in real-time, using artificial intelligence (AI)-based software to detect and track objects to support artillery and UAV strikes against hostile assets, the DoD said.
It added that Vector AI uses tiltrotors to transition between vertical and forward flight, giving it the hovering capability of a helicopter combined with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.
“Because fixed-wing drones can penetrate deeper into enemy lines, they excel at providing information that helps friendly forces disrupt rear elements, degrading an enemy's ability to coordinate and resupply forward units,” the DoD said.
According to company specifications, Vector AI, with a wingspan of 2.8 m, has an endurance of 180 minutes, a range of 60 km, a maximum take-off weight of 9.5 kg, a maximum speed of 20 m/s, and a maximum operating altitude of 4,000 m.
Go beyond the headlines - with direct links to interconnected entities
Get full access to validated equipment, military capabilities, and market insights.
