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SELEX Galileo announced it had acquired Italian technology firm UTRI on 13 May 2011. The stated aim was to add mini- and micro-unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to a portfolio that already included tactical systems, broadening the company’s range and strengthening its position in the smaller-system market. The announcement highlighted UTRI’s ASIO, Crex-B and Spyball systems; it does not establish whether those products remain available or in service today.
What did SELEX Galileo acquire?
UTRI, short for Unmanned Technologies Research Institute, was described in the 2011 announcement as an Italian technology firm supplying mini- and micro-UAS for defence and homeland-security purposes. The announcement identified SELEX Galileo as a Finmeccanica company. Shephard Media reproduced the announcement and credited SELEX Galileo as its source; Trieste newspaper Il Piccolo reported the following day that the acquisition had been formalized in the preceding days.
The retained sources do not state a purchase price. They establish the announcement and its contemporary description of UTRI, not the companies’ present corporate relationship.
Why did SELEX Galileo buy UTRI?
SELEX Galileo said the deal would extend its UAS range from mini- and micro-systems through tactical systems, including the company’s Falco tactical UAS. It also said its existing sensor technology, ground control station and simulation capabilities could enhance its mini- and micro-UAS offer. These were the company’s stated expectations, rather than independently measured results.
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The announcement described the market as growing, but supplied no market-size figure. Its stated rationale was to build capability in the mini/micro segment while connecting it to SELEX Galileo’s wider UAS portfolio. As the company put it, “The acquisition of UTRI will allow SELEX Galileo to further reinforce its UAS capability by leveraging on the growing mini-micro market.” The quotation is from SELEX Galileo’s 2011 announcement, as reproduced by Shephard Media.
What were ASIO, Crex-B and Spyball?
The announcement presented these as examples of UTRI’s mini- and micro-UAS technology. Their descriptions distinguish them by configuration and stated capability:
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| System | Announcement-era description |
|---|---|
| ASIO | Operational 6.5 kg mini vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAS with a described “perch and stare” capability. |
| Crex-B | 2 kg micro fixed-wing UAS. |
| Spyball | Ducted-fan VTOL micro-UAS technology; no weight is stated in the cited description. |
These specifications come from the 2011 announcement-era account in Shephard Media. The sources do not provide comparable figures for range, endurance, payload, price or operating cost, and do not verify current specifications, availability, operators or service status.
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What the historical record establishes
- SELEX Galileo announced the UTRI acquisition on 13 May 2011; Il Piccolo offered contemporaneous local reporting on 14 May.
- UTRI was described as an Italian supplier of mini- and micro-UAS intended for defence and homeland-security applications.
- SELEX Galileo’s stated goal was to widen its UAS portfolio and strengthen its mini/micro capability.
- ASIO, Crex-B and Spyball were examples cited at the time, not evidence of present-day product availability.
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