SAFETY & SECURITY
Mini UAVs: Breaking Military Ranks
Last autumn, Finland’s Ministry of Defence put out a request to five bidders for 30-45 mini-unmanned aerial vehicles, (UAVs), a deal estimated at $25 m. Four of the five bidders were Israeli companies.
Blue Bird SpyLite, Elbit Systems Skylark, IAI Bird-Eye 650 and the Aeronautics Defence Systems Orbiter, marketed by Rafael, were the contenders
The fifth was the pan-European EADS DRAC. While UAVs are developed or manufactured today in more than 40 countries, Israel, often credited with inventing the technology in the 1970s, maintains leadership in the market for mini-UAVs.
Mini-UAVs represent the lighter end of the UAV spectrum, designed for relatively close-range, over-the-hill and urban reconnaissance. They were designed with infantry and special forces in mind and their claim to fame is that they are fully autonomous, portable, rugged, easy-to-assemble, light weight, low-noise drones requiring minimal user training.
Blue Bird Aero System’s SpyLite (www.bluebird-uav.com) is an electronically powered surveillance UAV originally developed by Blue Bird in partnership with Rafael.
An all-weather, all-terrain, UAV-in-a-backpack, SpyLite relays GPS-marked imagery within a 35 km range in real time to the ground control station. It can be assembled and operational within 10 minutes.
Elbit’s Skylark 1-LE Mini-UAV (www.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/uas) is launched by hand and lands on a dedicated ruggedized inflatable cushion placed at a pre-designated point.
Flying below 1000 feet, Skylark 1-LE has an extended mission radius of approximately 15 km and endurance of three hours. It has seen action in several theatres of combat and Skylark technology is being used by the military forces of a dozen countries worldwide, including Sweden.
The IAI-MALAT Bird-Eye 650, (http://www.iai.co.il) unveiled by Israel Aerospace Industries in February 2010, (http://www.iai.co.il) is a mini-UAV powered by fuel cells which deliver 6 hours’ endurance. The new system also weighs less than its predecessor and includes a folding launcher.
It takes two to operate a Bird-Eye 650. It also includes a unique patented turnover manoeuvre which flips the UAV on its back before landing.
IAI is the most senior of Israeli UAV manufacturers and exporters, with some 800,000 operational flights under its belt, 48 customers on four continents and a range of UAV solutions for various objectives and budgets.
Aeronautics Defense System’s Orbiter Mini-UAV (http://www.aeronautics-sys.com) comes in three versions ranging in wing-span from 2.2-3.6 meters and weighing between 7-20 kilograms. The larger Orbiter III has a range of over 100 km and an endurance of 7 hours.
Transitioning to Civilian Life
Shedding its military uniform, UAVs have a sizable potential civilian market in the key industries, including homeland security, civil emergency services, pollution monitoring, infrastructure security, fire detection and police operations.
According to some reports, Israeli UAV manufacturers have been approached to test the wind for mini-UAV systems designed for integration in security systems protecting critical installations and sites in various countries. On the more frivolous side, it has been suggested that UAVs can be employed by paparazzi photographers and divorce lawyers in their relentless pursuit after the “money shot”.
The crossover into civilian territory has been slow in coming, in large part due to civil aviation regulators who do not welcome the advent of unmanned aircraft crowding their friendly skies. In many countries, however, regulators are working with manufacturers to address the relevant safety issues that will open the gates to more widespread civilian deployment of UAVs.
