Permanent air or space capabilities for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and communication, tactical Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) and sensor suite for integration into air-traffic management

The LOTUS project will address feasibility, detailed design, prototyping and testing of a low-observable, airworthy and interoperable tactical RPAS system, targeted at ISR missions. The development will include: a mothership TRPAS equipped with ISR sensors, designed for low observability and high endurance, incorporating a self-protection system against enemy threats; a system of tube-launched, foldable-wing drones, deployable from the mothership, while this later remains at a safe distance; on-board sensor data processing capabilities for target detection, recognition, identification and classification; and a ground station.