Big day for Quantum Systems out at the Berlin Air Show.
This morning, the German drone giant came in hot with two updates out of ILA: First, they’re launching a new drone called PULSE P19 that “deliver[s] persistent mission endurance while offering significantly higher speed, a more competitive cost profile, integrated counter-drone (C-UAS) capabilities and high payload capacity.” Translation: It’s a big ol’ new drone that can be manned or unmanned and (this is new for QS) have weapons systems strapped onboard.
Plus, the company is teaming up with Airbus to integrate its cUAS interceptors onto the prime’s helicopter platforms. After all, it really sucks to lose a multi-million dollar chopper to a Shahed.
QS is really leaning hard into the pew-pew game these days, aren’t they?
German-made: Y’all know Quantum Systems.
- The company was founded by a team led by Florian Seibel (yes, the same) back in 2015 and set out—initially—to build drones that could “redefine how aerial data is collected, analysed, and turned into action.” (Read: ISR.)
- The company is now led by Seibel and co-CEO Sven Kruck, who joined the team in 2022.
- Last year, the company raised a €160M ($186M) Series C and a €180M ($209M) Series C extension, both led by Balderton Capital. Then, in February, they scored another €150M ($178M) in financing. Then, in February, they raked in another €150M ($178M) in financing. Cash money.
Eye in the sky: The company’s initial focus was on ISR drones, including:
- Vector: A mid-range ISR eVTOL drone
- Trinity: A fixed-wing drone for mapping
- Twister: A short-range ISR drone
- Reliant: A long-range ISR drone
- Sparta: A drone mothership (or drone carrier)
But in the past year or so, they’ve expanded their offerings to the, erm, more kinetic side of things.
- Earlier this year, the company invested in Ukrainian company WIY drones and said it would work with the company to provide 15,000 interceptor drones to Ukraine. WIY’s flagship interceptor is called STRILA.
- Last year, the company also unveiled its own German-made, low-cost interceptor drone called Jager, designed to take down drones through kinetic impact (rather than explosives).
Big boy: Like Jager and STRILA (and most of Quantum’s drones, tbh) PULSE P19 has been pretty specifically designed to be effective on the battlefield in ultra-jammed, messy, contested environments like Ukraine.
- Per Quantum, the “new optionally piloted aircraft marks Quantum Systems’ expansion into the medium-altitude and multi-role aerial domain.” It’s also the company’s first platform that can be optionally crewed, and will be (by far) the biggest aircraft in the company’s lineup.
- The platform is giving “tiny little plane.” In Quantum’s words, it “combines the flexibility of a modern mission aircraft with the ability to operate in both manned and unmanned configurations.”
- PULSE P19 is also designed to be much faster (and have longer endurance) than a traditional medium-altitude drone, but cheaper and more scalable than traditional aircraft.
- It’s got built-in cUAS (read: interceptors and other non-kinetic options) and is designed to play nicely alongside other drone platforms via Quantum’s MOSAIC UXS software brains.
- It can also integrate other weapons systems—a first for QS—and be used for everything from reconnaissance and surveillance
“By combining medium-altitude endurance with significantly higher speed and a more scalable cost profile than conventional platforms, [PULSE P19] delivers a persistent airborne capability for detecting, tracking and countering unmanned threats,” Seibel said in a statement. “At the same time, it marks our ambition to become the leading neo-prime for the unmanned era.”
Not to be hasty, but dare we say it sounds like another European mega-drone-plane might be entering the chat?
Pew-pew: Now, before we lose you, let’s talk Airbus. This mash-up is interesting because, like, traditionally, Quantum Systems has very much not been a kinetics or weapons provider.
- For years, the company has stayed pretty firmly on the side of ISR. If you take one thing away from this piece—that’s changing.
- Per Quantum, they’re teaming up with the prime to “explore the integration of advanced counter-UAS (C-UAS) interceptors [by QS] onto Airbus’ military helicopters, beginning with the multi-role H145M.”
- Seems that both companies are still in the “let’s figure out how this is going to work” phase, but Airbus Helicopters EVP of Programs Stefan Thomé said that the partnership will “further [expand] the operational spectrum of our military helicopters, ensuring that crews can effectively control the airspace against uncrewed threats.”
- It’s worth noting that Airbus also unveiled an uncrewed version of the H145, the U145, this week at the Berlin Air Show. Drone copters, anyone?