The DDS is to explore development of an unmanned transport similar to the pending Clone Horizon HZ design. The Type 171X as it currently known could be used as an armament resupply transport, bringing fresh supplies of TPMs for example to the front line, and being unmanned and smaller will be more expendable and less vulnerable than a lumbering Provider 71A for example.
The contract granted to DDS Engineering does not guarantee the Type 171X will be built yet, just that a feasibility study and early development work will be carried out over the next few months. However such a type would be the kind of "force multiplier" Firefly is keen to add to the DDS portfolio.
