INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Army to showcase emerging technologies and capabilities
In the California desert, WaveAerospace demonstrated its Mule drone, a table-size quadcopter with angled surfaces reminiscent of a stealth
Strauss of WaveAerospace, based in Stratford, Connecticut.Mark Strauss, co-founder of WaveAerospace, talks about the business in Stratford,
Conn., Friday, March 28, 2025
at General Atomics before doing a stint at Sikorsky based in Stratford
Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, WaveAerospace has a production line of smaller Falcon II LE drones under assembly, designed for
overhead surveillance or to deliver light loads in winds up to 69 mph
from a core, jet-turbine engine
That could be heavy winds, precipitation or even icing conditions by redistributing waste heat produced by onboard systems onto flight
the area around the airport to find the downed plane.While Strauss and Bofill hope to interest emergency responders in its drones, the
start-up business sees the military as the best bet to generate early revenue
House of Representatives approved funding last year to create a U.S
Senate.If the Department of Defense or NATO show any interest in purchasing WaveAerospace drones, Strauss estimated the company would
require about 100,000 square feet of space to house a headquarters production plant
Employing about 15 people today, WaveAerospace has built more than 50 drone prototypes on $4 million in initial funding, Strauss said.The
WaveAerospace is Huntress, the muscle drone that is slated for flight tests this spring.Huntress is designed to get to places in a hurry,
and can shut off the loud, jet-turbine engine while still out of earshot, then fly closer on its comparatively quiet, battery-power
quadcopter rotors for surveillance or landing
as well, Strauss said, not just in the context of pushing through high winds but also for search-and-rescue scenarios when the clock is
ticking, and drone pilots need to cover large areas to locate anyone needing help.Steve Bofill, co-founder of WaveAerospace, talks about the
business in Stratford, Conn., Friday, March 28, 2025
not seen many homegrown drone developers
Bloomfield-based Kaman has a contract to produce a cargo rotor drone for the U.S
In Groton, ThayerMahan is developing semiautonomous sea drones for underwater surveillance.Not lost on WaveAerospace employees, according to
the company produces in Stratford, Conn., Friday, March 28, 2025
