ASIO-B and SPYBALL-B UAVs are two very cool little UAS from Italian Manufacturer Finmeccanica. Since completion of development and testing these micro and mini UAVs have passed their factory acceptance tests, and are now headed to the Italian Army for its Forza NEC modernisation programme.

ASIO-B and SPYBALL-B are operated from control stations that look and feel like oversized PS-4 or XBOX controller leveraging the training younger soldiers have already received from gaming stations. These oversized video game control pads. Carried in backpacks and simple to fly, ASIO and SPYBALL  drones are designed to meet the requirements of the Italian Armed Forces and the latest NATO standards.

Finmeccanica – Selex ES’s micro and mini UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) weight up to two kilos (micro) and up to 20 kilos (mini). They share a common system architecture and ground control station hardware and meet the new Italian Directorate of Air Armaments AER.P-2 and NATO’s STANAG 4703 standard. They are able to gather data and information and store and distribute it via datalink.

SPYBALL-B is a fan-ducted mini electrical VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) system that can be packed and man-carried with a hovering capability specifically designed for close or over the hill surveillance and Army protection, particularly in urban areas. The system has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of two kilos, an endurance of 25 minutes, five kilometer radio Link (LOS) and operating range. The system can carry stabilized color or infrared cameras which are software and mechanically pan & tilt stabilized. Image stabilization provides a crisp high quality video streams.

ASIO-B is a fully automatic electrical vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) mini Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). It is a fan-ducted system so that it can be flown in tight quarters and in personnel presence. The system is used for surveillance, monitoring and intelligence roles.
The ASIO-B has a bit more than eight kilos maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), a 30 minute endurance, a radio link with a line of sight (LOS) range of over ten kilometers), and an operating range of seven kilometers. The system can carry stabilized color or infrared cameras which are software and mechanically pan & tilt stabilized. It is completely back packable and can be deployed and operated from a moving truck.

All in all I love these little bambinos. They are quite capable and adept to providing timely field and tactical intelligence in a very small and easy to use package.

John Stossel Eat Your Heart Out!