Modini Ltd and ACC Innovation AB are the first to deliver on the Royal Navy Heavy Lift Challenge 2 (HLC2) programme

Modini Ltd, the UK’s leading specialist in uncrewed systems, and ACC Innovation AB, a pioneering innovator in autonomous systems engineering, are thrilled to announce the successful delivery of their ground-breaking collaboration for the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Future Capability Group’s Royal Navy Heavy Lift Challenge 2 by ‘meeting and exceeding’ HLC2 Minimal Viable Product (MVP). This achievement signifies a pivotal milestone in naval heavy lift #drone technology.

The 10-month project led to the development of the Thunderwasp GT Uncrewed Air System, capable of lifting 300Kg in a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (#BVLOS) environment, meeting and exceeding the Royal Navy’s strict qualification standards. This milestone will enable heavy payload delivery from shore-to-ship and ship-to-ship, even in challenging maritime conditions.

Toby Love, Commercial Manager of DE&S Future Capability Group, expressed his gratitude for the exceptional work carried out by Modini and ACC, stating, “Congratulations to Modini/ACC on this landmark achievement. The Authority and the Royal Navy would like to very much thank Modini/ACC for their efforts and continued support throughout the HLC programme, and you are recognised as a key innovator in the area of Heavy Lift Capability.”

Nick Sharpe, CEO of Modini Ltd, shared, “The growing relationship between ACC innovations group and Modini has started to yield fantastic results, as identified by the Royal Navy. This has been successful by our engineering, integration, and operations teams working in harmony with world-leading OEMs to deliver best-in-class drone solutions.”

Claes Drougge, CEO of ACC Innovation AB, also expressed his pride in the collaboration, stating, “ACC Innovation is proud to have been working closely together with Modini Ltd in a strategic partnership to bring a new paradigm to UAS for the UK Royal Navy and Future Capability Group. Modini’s professionalism and expertise in the field will help us bring the most powerful heavy lift VTOL UAV to market, the ThunderWasp GT, and we are fully committed to further innovation in the drone industry.”

The completion of this project stage marks a significant achievement for Modini and ACC, with their uncrewed air system performing admirably in demonstration flights. The partnership now looks ahead as they work to marinise their highly capable solution for integration into the complex operational environment of a naval ship.

Modini and ACC were the only bidders to meet the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) requirements within the timeframe of the challenge, reinforcing their position as industry leaders in the development of heavy lift drone technology.

To learn more about Modini’s autonomous systems and aviation consultancy expertise please visit: www.modini.co.uk

To learn more about ACC Innovation and the ThunderWasp drone please visit: www.accinnovation.se

To learn more about DE&S please visit: https://des.mod.uk/