Melbourne company DefendTex has been awarded a contract of undisclosed value by the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) to provide its Drone40 Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) to the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF), as first reported by ADM correspondent Corey Lee Bell on Thursday.
The company was asked to comment on the sale under the JSDF’s Small Attack UAV Type 1 program, and declined. However, the sale was reported by a member of the Network Against Japan Arms Trade (NAJAT). ADM understands that DefendTex’s Drone40 managed to defeat several other UAV designs during the evaluation by the JSDF.
It is a quadcopter-configured UAV that can be launched from a 40mm grenade launcher or manually, depending on the user’s circumstances and tactical considerations. It can ‘swarm’ where necessary to attack a target in force and overwhelm its defences and its maximum range is approximately 24km.
The Drone40 can perform a variety of roles, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and strike. In the latter role it can carry a shaped-charge warhead vertically to attack the thinner top armour of a tank or Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV); it can also launch an Explosively Formed Fragment (EFP). ADM understands that it’s highly likely warheads for the Drone40 will be manufactured in Australia.
It was first used in combat by the British Army in the Western Sahara in 2018. ADM understands this was the V.9 variant; DefendTex is now manufacturing V.12.
The Drone40 makes extensive use of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) components, including parts from mobile phones. These become obsolete and get updated on a rapid cycle and the same applies to the Drone40 UAV that uses them - the company reportedly has difficulty making the exact same UAV 12 months on because some component or other has been discontinued by its manufacturer, so it tries to innovate at the speed of its supply chain.
Much of the Drone40’s development has been supported by the UK Ministry of Defence and the company has now established a second manufacturing plant close to the headquarters of the British Army’s Army Air Corps at Middle Wallop.
The company is reported to have made follow-on sales to the UK as well as to the United States, in addition to the reported sale to Japan.
The Drone40 has been used successfully in Ukraine, though the company declined to comment. DefendTex also manufactures a range of larger ISR and strike UAVs, the Drone81, D155 and Vengeance FPV.