AeroVironment signs licensing deal

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MONROVIA, Calif., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- AeroVironment of the United States has gained exclusive license to market an Australian-made target detection software system for small drones.

The global licensing agreement with Sentient follows 18 months of collaboration between the companies for integration of Sentient's Kestrel Land MTI Tier I software with AeroVironment's software with AeroVironment's existing common Ground Control System.

AeroVironment's GCS is used with the Puma, Raven and Wasp small unmanned aerial systems.

"The Kestrel software adds capability to our existing small UAS by automatically detecting moving objects on the video screen and presenting that information visually to the operator," said Tom Herring, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

"This software makes it much easier to detect and track multiple moving objects in the battle space, thus delivering improved situational awareness to the system operator and tactical commander."

The companies, in announcing the agreement, said the accord doesn't include Sentient's automated target detection software solutions, Kestrel Land.

"Kestrel Land MTI is deployed in a variety of theaters all over the world," said Simon Olsen, sales and marketing manager at Sentient. "The automated cueing capability has proven to be a decisive edge in a number of operational missions. This extensive operational experience was a key prerequisite for this relationship to proceed."