Sensors - Wescam

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A relative newcomer in the field of drone sensors is this Rafael Recce-U, which is a scaled-down derivative of the Reccelite pod originally designed for the F-16 fighter aircraft. (Rafael) and elint gear. Six aircraft, two ground stations and related equipment can be packed in a C-130-transportable container. The 240-kilo Viking has an endurance of up to twelve hours depending on the payload carried. Falco: Launched into production by Pakistan (this is still an 'undisclosed customer’, but very much an open secret) the Selex Galileo Falco currently takes off at 420 kg from a runway, but the use of a catapult (presumably Finland’s Robonic system) has now been cleared, to meet a potential Italian requirement. In terms of payload systems, the Falco is typically offered with an Eost 45 electro-optical turret (Selex is quite open to integrate other systems), but the range of sensors has been expanded. The firm’s Picosar Aesa radar has already been integrated and the Gabbiano maritime surveillance the British Army for the same role in Afghanistan. Asio: This interesting development comes from Italy, with Utri providing the airframe and Selex Galileo in charge of systems integration and marketing. An electrically powered verti-lift drone, the Asio is evidently aimed at urban warfare or engagements of similar nature, but incorporates one or two interesting features. First of all, it is able to carry two payloads that can be indifferently mounted at the top or at the bottom of the centre body pod, but being secured in place with a bayonet mechanism, their positions can be swapped depending on mission requirements. These payloads include one 7.5 to 13.5µ vanadium oxide microbolometer infrared sensor on the one hand, and a day-night camera with automatic switchover to night mode under 2.5 lux intensity on the other. The second important feature is its ’perching mode‘, by virtue of which it is able to land on a vantage point, shut down its motor and silently scan around for four hours before returning home, which it can do at a top speed of 24 knots. Its flight autonomy is over 30 minutes while its line-of-sight datalink reaches out to twelve km. Although the Asio is still under development, Galileo informed the authors that it had now reached a good maturity level, recently having been focused on robustness, ’flight behaviour‘ and batteries. The Asio is a one-man affair, which can be put into operation within five minutes from pulling it out of its backpack together with its control station (including datalink and telemetry systems). The entire package weighs a mere 20 kilos. Medium Fixed-Wing The multiplicity of medium fixed-wing drones allows mention of only a few recent illustrative examples (see our foldout table herewith for more details). Hunter: Just below the one-tonne mark, the US Army’s 885-kg Northrop Grumman MQ-5B Hunter has an airframe built by IAI-subsidiary Stark Aerospace, which is also responsible for marketing the Heron in North America. The MQ-5B is now cleared to use the Viper Strike missile. Viking 400: Following an order placed by the US Special Operations Command last year (2009), L-3 started rolling out its first production Viking 400s in early 2010. So far the contract, to the tune of $ 250 million, covers the delivery of six aircraft and two ground stations. The Viking 400 is able to carry up to 40 kilos worth of payloads, including electro-optical, sigint The Hermes 90, also known as the Storm for marketing purposes in the United States, is equipped with a new version of the Micro Compass ball now known as the Enhanced Micro Compass. The major reconfiguration now adds both CCD day and infrared sensors (the latter with continuous zoom), mobile target tracking and a laser tracker – all in a new threeaxis stabilised configu - ration. (Elbit Systems) Russia’s A-Level Aerosystems designs and produces the Zala family of drones weighing less than 100 kg. Its highly successful flying wing series includes this 4.2-kg Zala 421-04M. (A- Level Aerosystems) radar with a synthetic aperture capability should follow suit this year (2010). Other sensors identified as ’multispectral‘ to collect pollution factors are also being considered. Pakistan has purchased five Falco systems, each with four air vehicles, and licence-manufacture will begin shortly. Shadow 200: Pakistan is also to be supplied with twelve AAI RQ-7B Shadow 200s. The 170-kg RQ-7 entered service with the US Army in 2002 and with the US Marine Corps in 2007. A total of 116 systems, each with four aircraft, have so far been ordered for these services. In 2008 the US Army approved an upgrade, which included long-span (6.1-metre) wings, an engine burning JP-8, increased fuel capacity and lithium batteries. Sentry HP: In the same weight class, the 190-kg DRS Technologies Sentry HP features a carbon fibre airframe and a retractable landing gear, giving the sensor turret an unobstructed field-of-view. I-View: The 160-kg IAI I-View 150 is one of the three types of Israeli drones purchased in 2009 by Russia, the others being IAI’s 430-kg Searcher II and fivekg Bird Eye 400. Stuas/Tier II: The most important contest in the sub-100 kg category is the US Navy/US Marine Corps Stuas/Tier II programme for a drone with an endurance of ten hours. It will initially have EO/IR sen- 30 armada Compendium Drones 2010
ONLINE Stepping ahead of the technological curve, INTERNATIONAL is proud to introduce its new and completely update website at www.armada.ch, which has been built as a complement to our 34-year history as the world’s premier defence equipment technology magazine. The portal at www.armada.ch is open for registration, offering a searchable archive filled with articles, images and multimedia. Front-page business and in-depth articles will be at your fingertips, as well as an electronic version of the print edition. Visit www.armada.ch. armada INTERNATIONAL: the trusted source for defence technology information since 1976 TOP-PERFORMING AVIONICS FOR UAVs ALWAYS ON TRACK RADA, a world leader in proven avionic systems, is proud to offer a wide spectrum of unique avionic products optimized for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of all sizes. • Extremely compact through modern board connectivity solutions • Innovative conductive cooling techniques • Withstanding extreme environmental conditions • Exceptionally reliable • Highly affordable ICP - Interface Control Processor MAVINS - Modular Avionics & INS/GPS for UAVs • Complete system solution for MALE, Close-Range & Tactical UAVs • All-in-One core avionics ”Systems-in-a-Box” for Mini & Micro UAVs EUROSATORY 2010 UVS Forum, Stand B11 Innovative Defense Electronics www.rada.com E-mail: mrkt@rada.com
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Page 5 and 6: 791 hybrid demonstrator, which firs
Page 7 and 8: CASTING A LONGER SHADOW UNMANNED CA
Page 10 and 11: The Lockheed Martin Tracer (Tactica
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Page 18 and 19: Raytheon delivers proven ISR with i
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