Predictika · Unmanned aircraft system quotes

An AI sales agent's Heron UAS quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for Heron unmanned aircraft systems with payloads, communications, ground control stations and a support tier. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the Heron family and returns a verdict, every reason and the payload it computed.

Scope: Heron 1, Heron Mk II and Heron TP with EO/IR turrets, SAR/GMTI or maritime patrol radar, SIGINT, SATCOM, ground control stations and three support tiers. See everything this validator covers

This validator models Heron unmanned aircraft system quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Aircraft and payload — the three Heron platforms, each with a payload weight limit, a number of payload positions and a limit on EO/IR turrets, against the weight and positions of the suite quoted.
  • Communications and mission — radar and SATCOM availability by platform, beyond-line-of-sight operation (which needs SATCOM), the endurance and the altitude the customer needs, and how many aircraft each ground control station controls.
  • Stated payload, export and support — the total payload the quote states against the computed total, with approval steps for export sales, a suite near the payload limit and Basic support on a larger fleet.

Any Heron quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices, other IAI aircraft, weapons and training. The Heron family names are public; the weights, positions, endurance and ceiling figures and all other limits are modeled from comparable MALE UAS programs, not published by IAI.

The AI sales agentBuilds the Heron system quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
Click to expand
    
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Payload limits that depend on the aircraftOnly with care
Weight, positions and turret limits differ for each platform, so each limit needs a rule per aircraft, kept in step with the suite.		The aircraft and the whole payload suite are in one request and checked together on every call.
Options that exist only on some aircraftOnly with care
SATCOM and maritime radar are not offered on every platform, so each needs its own availability rule.		The platform and the options are in one request and compared on every call.
A mission need that depends on the payloadOnly with workarounds
Endurance falls as payload rises, so the rule has to combine the platform, the suite and the requirement.		The requirement, the payload and the platform are fields of one request and compared on every call.
A stated payload total that must match the computed totalOnly with workarounds
The total is built from several lines and the fleet size, so a separate rule is needed to recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.		The stated total is a field of the request and is compared with the computed fleet payload on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as a quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
Click to expand
    
Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The payload suite weighs 260 kg; this aircraft carries at most 250 kg.
2The quote uses 4 payload positions; this aircraft has 3.
3The payload suite is above 85 percent of the aircraft limit; an engineer should review endurance and balance.
4The quote has 3 EO/IR turrets; this aircraft supports at most 2.
5The maritime patrol radar is not offered on this aircraft.
6Satellite communications are not offered on this aircraft.
7The customer needs beyond-line-of-sight operation and the quote has no satellite communications.
8The payload suite weighs 360 kg; this aircraft carries at most 350 kg.
9The quote uses 5 payload positions; this aircraft has 4.
10The customer needs 44 hours of endurance; with this payload the aircraft cannot reach it (base endurance 45 hours).
11The customer needs operation at 36000 ft; this aircraft is modeled to 35000 ft.
12The customer needs operation at 46000 ft; this aircraft is modeled to 45000 ft.
135 aircraft need more ground control stations; the quote has 1 (each station controls up to 4 aircraft).
14The quote states 250 kg of payload in total; the quoted suites weigh 270 kg.
15This is an export sale; a person must confirm the export license for the customer country.
16Basic support on 3 or more aircraft needs a sales manager to confirm.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
Click to expand
    
The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Aircraft limits and communications: A Heron 1 with two EO/IR turrets, SAR/GMTI radar, SIGINT and SATCOM

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1 Heron 1 aircraft each with 2 EO/IR turrets, SAR/GMTI radar, SIGINT, SATCOM, 1 ground control station and Standard support, for beyond-line-of-sight operation, needing 20 hours of endurance at 25,000 ft, for a total payload of 295 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Payload weight over the aircraft limit. The payload suite weighs 295 kg; this aircraft carries at most 250 kg.
    • 
      
  • Too many payload positions. The quote uses 4 payload positions; this aircraft has 3.
    • 
      
  • SATCOM not offered on Heron 1. Satellite communications are not offered on this aircraft.
    • 
      
  • Payload near the aircraft limit. The payload suite is above 85 percent of the aircraft limit; an engineer should review endurance and balance.
    • 
    

    
2. Aircraft limits and communications: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1 Heron Mk II aircraft each with 2 EO/IR turrets, SAR/GMTI radar, SIGINT, SATCOM, 1 ground control station and Standard support, for beyond-line-of-sight operation, needing 30 hours of endurance at 30,000 ft, for a total payload of 295 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • System summary. 1 aircraft, 295 kg payload each, 4 payload positions used, 1 ground control station(s).
    • 
    

    
3. Fleet, ground stations and altitude: Five Heron Mk II aircraft with one ground control station and a high altitude need

    
The agent's request. Please quote 5 Heron Mk II aircraft each with 1 EO/IR turret, SAR/GMTI radar, 1 ground control station and Basic support, needing 30 hours of endurance at 36,000 ft, for a total payload of 600 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Required altitude over the ceiling. The customer needs operation at 36000 ft; this aircraft is modeled to 35000 ft.
    • 
      
  • Not enough ground control stations. 5 aircraft need more ground control stations; the quote has 1 (each station controls up to 4 aircraft).
    • 
      
  • Stated payload total does not match. The quote states 600 kg of payload in total; the quoted suites weigh 675 kg.
    • 
      
  • Basic support on a larger fleet. Basic support on 3 or more aircraft needs a sales manager to confirm.
    • 
    

    
4. Fleet, ground stations and altitude: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 5 Heron Mk II aircraft each with 1 EO/IR turret, SAR/GMTI radar, 2 ground control stations and Standard support, needing 30 hours of endurance at 35,000 ft, for a total payload of 675 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • System summary. 5 aircraft, 135 kg payload each, 2 payload positions used, 2 ground control station(s).
    • 
    

    
5. Mission needs: A Heron TP with a full suite and a long endurance need

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1 Heron TP aircraft each with 4 EO/IR turrets, maritime patrol radar, SIGINT, 1 ground control station and Premium support, for beyond-line-of-sight operation, needing 40 hours of endurance at 40,000 ft, for a total payload of 370 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Beyond-line-of-sight operation needs SATCOM. The customer needs beyond-line-of-sight operation and the quote has no satellite communications.
    • 
      
  • Endurance requirement not met with this payload. The customer needs 40 hours of endurance; with this payload the aircraft cannot reach it (base endurance 30 hours).
    • 
    

    
6. Mission needs: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1 Heron TP aircraft each with 4 EO/IR turrets, maritime patrol radar, SIGINT, SATCOM, 1 ground control station and Premium support, for beyond-line-of-sight operation, needing 25 hours of endurance at 40,000 ft, for a total payload of 405 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • System summary. 1 aircraft, 405 kg payload each, 6 payload positions used, 1 ground control station(s).
    • 
    

  

  

    
Narration transcript
Click to expand
    
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for Heron unmanned aircraft systems with payloads, communications, ground control stations and a support tier. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the Heron family and returns a verdict, every reason and the payload it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote 1 Heron 1 aircraft each with 2 EO/IR turrets, SAR/GMTI radar, SIGINT, SATCOM, 1 ground control station and Standard support. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with three findings and one approval, all in one answer. The payload suite weighs 295 kg; this aircraft carries at most 250 kg. The quote uses 4 payload positions; this aircraft has 3. Satellite communications are not offered on this aircraft.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned three blocking findings and one approval in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for payload limits that depend on the aircraft, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
    9. 
      
  9. The corrected request. It changes the aircraft to Heron Mk II, the endurance needed to 30 hours and the altitude needed to 30,000 ft.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. This time the validator clears it.
    12. 
      
  12. All four earlier findings are cleared.
    13. 
      
  13. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.