New drones for New Zealand Army
The New Zealand government has ordered a fleet of reconnaissance and surveillance drones for use by its military
The contract, awarded to a partnership of military technology firm EPE New Zealand and drone manufacturer Skydio, is part of the New Zealand Ministry of Defence’s Network Enabled Army (NEA) program.
Under the terms of the agreement, EPE will supply a fleet of Skydio X2D uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) for use by the New Zealand Army.
The drones are intended to provide a portable, rugged solution to improve the New Zealand army’s situational awareness.
As well as being used to support soldiers in combat situations, the drones will also be useful in peacetime roles, such as search and rescue and disaster relief.
“Skydio has been committed to supporting the government sector in New Zealand, Australia and broader Oceania for years with our uncrewed aircraft systems,” said Mark Valentine, President and General Manager for Global Government at Skydio. “We are excited to continue to partner with EPE New Zealand Limited, to deliver the Skydio X2D to the New Zealand Defence agencies.”
The city of Schenectady, in the US state of New York, is also looking to acquire a new fleet of emergency response drones.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.