ORLANDO, Fla.-Lockheed Martin, Aerosonde North America Inc., and Aerosonde Pty Limited have announced the establishment of a multinational strategic alliance to provide Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) solutions for domestic and international markets.

As part of the agreement, Lockheed Martin and Aerosonde will build, integrate, and test advanced unmanned aircraft systems for customer demonstrations and trials. Lockheed Martin will also purchase Aerosonde aircraft, mission systems, and services to carry out customer demonstrations and trials.

Aerosonde has developed a global data-gathering business based on “The Aerosonde,” a small robotic aircraft designed for long-range monitoring and surveillance. Initially developed for meteorological and environmental reconnaissance and data collection over oceanic and remote areas, the Aerosonde’s unique characteristics have led to expansion into military and commercial markets.

The Aerosonde UAV has several records to its credit, including the first unmanned aircraft in its class to cross the Atlantic Ocean (1998), using only one and a half gallons of fuel. In addition, the Aerosonde was the first UAV to operate routinely in the Arctic (2000) and the first UAV deployment by the Australian military (2004).

For more information, see www.lockheedmartin.com or www.aerosonde.com.