Overwatch Group and PteroDynamics Inc. have announced a landmark, long-term strategic relationship and the first distribution agreement to bring the pioneering, dual-use, autonomous, Transwing® (VTOL) to certain territories outside the United States.
Overwatch will be the exclusive sales representative of the Transwing® unmanned aerial systems (UAS) aircraft on behalf of PteroDynamics within the United Kingdom (UK) for all non-commercial sales, and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for all prospective commercial and defence sales.
Overwatch has also made a strategic investment in PteroDynamics. As the first distributor for this technology, Overwatch will help expand the employment of the Transwing® aircraft platform outside the United States, starting in the UK, UAE, and KSA. Overwatch will bring its engineering expertise in unmanned systems and payloads to satisfy requirements for potential customers in these territories.
PteroDynamics’ Transwing® is a revolutionary VTOL aircraft system that overcomes the limitations inherent in other VTOL designs by marrying the speed, range, and endurance of fixed-wing aircraft with superior VTOL performance in an efficient, highly automated platform. The aircraft folds its wings to transition seamlessly between vertical and winged horizontal flight, requires no additional launch and recovery infrastructure, and occupies a minimal footprint, making it immediately ready for VTOL operations out of the box.
The VTOL’s unique performance characteristics provide defence and commercial operators with a more cost-effective, autonomous alternative for critical logistics resupply and other missions to remote locations without runways, which are currently undertaken by crewed aircraft, boats, or other less practical means. Prototypes of the Transwing® are currently under assessment by the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAVAIR NAWCAD) for the Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) program for automated long-range maritime resupply missions.
Automating maritime logistics and resupply also represents a significant opportunity for commercial operators. Unplanned downtime of offshore oil and gas production results in average losses of U.S. $49M per year per producer, and nearly 100,000 commercial sea-going vessels of more than 100 gross tons make 4.4 million ports of call yearly, each time requiring deliveries prior to coming to port, which are costly and difficult to schedule.
Drew Michael, CEO at Overwatch Group, said, “We are extremely proud to have secured our long-term strategic relationship with PteroDynamics. Both companies are dynamic engineering enterprises that design and manufacture unique, patented technology from the ground up. Our R&D of cutting-edge payload technologies continues to gather pace as we develop our next generation of drones, and we now wish to extend our expertise into wider markets. Having assessed the market, the Transwing® stood out as transformational dual-use technology, and the whole of Overwatch is excited by how we will enhance it.”
Matthew Graczyk, CEO at PteroDynamics, said, “PteroDynamics’ ability to build successful working strategic relationships with leaders in our industry enables us to accelerate innovation and build the solutions that solve the critical unmet needs of our customers. Not only does Overwatch have deep domain experience in avionics and aero-mechanical engineering, but their ties with commercial and defence customers in the UK, KSA, and UAE will prove to be a game-changing advantage for both companies. We are excited to work closely with Overwatch and look forward to growing this important strategic relationship.”
