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Combined Autopilot and Surveillance Payload Avionics (CASPA)

Developed for use in QinetiQ’s range of air vehicles, the CASPA system provides a reliable, integrated avionics and autopilot alternative to other unmanned vehicle producers.

CASPA is available in two versions capable of plug-and-play. The original CASPA, developed for Banshee aerial targets provides a system that allows its performance to be user-tuned to suit the flight characteristics of a particular target, alongside its mission and payload control requirements. The smaller and lighter mini-CASPA provides a simpler and lower cost unit ideal for use in semi-expendable target drone applications.

A marine version of CASPA can also be used in boat targets. This version is in service in our Sprite I and Sprite II vehicles.

Key Features

Self-contained offering easy integration - provides the following:

  • Command receiver
  • Telemetry transmitter
  • Three-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU)
  • Pressure transducers for airspeed and barometric altitude
  • GPS receiver
  • Autopilot
  • GPS waypoint navigation with track, altitude and airspeed hold
  • Autonomous target operation with automatic launch and recovery sequences
  • Mature system proven in many thousands of hours of operational use in the world’s harshest environments on land and sea