Defense Technology International - May 2008 - (Page 34)

SURVEILLANCE TACTICAL the surprise lessons of the 2006 war in Lebanon was the value of small UAVs. They made up a tactical surveillance system, supporting the Israel Defense Forces’ brigade-level combat teams. Tactical UAVs, operating as organic assets with brigades, are able to move with the force, keeping up with forwarddeployed combat support elements, ﬂying forward from the lead echelon. The UAVs cover a brigade’s combat environment, monitor enemy activities and friendly troop movements, and prevent fratricide by enhancing situational awareness for tactical commanders. These low-cost systems demonstrated assembled before the mission and is launched by hand. Recovery is performed by a deep stall maneuver, which lands the vehicle safely on a small inflatable cushion at a pre-designated point. The wings and tail surfaces are constructed of lightweight composites, as is the fuselage boom that carries the tail surfaces. The avionics and payload systems are contained in a pod below the boom. The Skylark is equipped with a daylight-stabilized CCD payload, weighing about 0.5 kg. (1.1 lb.), or an uncooled forward-looking infrared (Flir) for night operation. In February 2004, Elbit Systems won an IDF Ground Forces Command conISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES IAI’s BirdEye is set for bungee-assisted launch. excellent performance in the war. They were adaptable to users’ needs and, operating in almost total silence, were virtually invisible even in daylight. Furthermore, the UAVs were the only platforms capable of delivering imagery “below the clouds,” in weather conditions that hindered the operation of larger UAVs ﬂying above the cloud level. The Israelis operated two types of mini-UAVs: the Skylark I, developed by Elbit Systems; and Skylite B, developed and operated by Rafael. Skylark is a manpack system designed for close-range surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It can be quickly 34 tract to supply the Skylark for evaluation and testing as an organic UAV system to be operated by infantry units. In 2005 and 2006, the mini-UAV was selected to equip several armed forces, including Australia and Canada, for operations in Afghanistan. Skylark mini-UAVs were operated by IDF units in the Second Lebanon War to develop real-time intelligence in support of ground troops. Skylarks were able to operate at very low altitude and be practically undetectable. Elbit has described the surveillance goal as “being able to tell whether someone is changing a tire or planting a bomb.” Another mini-UAV, also used in combat for the ﬁrst time in Lebanon in 2006, was Rafael’s Skylite B. Rafael’s teams were dispatched to the Lebanese border, ﬂying some 50 missions in support of IDF units. Skylite B—a bigger-winged version of Rafael’s unique canister-launched Skylite, but with a stabilized sensor— was still in development when combat operations started. Since the systems were pulled from the laboratory, they included the latest automated imaging capabilities that were evaluated for the ﬁrst time in operational use. The minidrones were equipped with Controp Precision Technologies’ advanced DStamp stabilized payloads. They provided excellent reconnaissance imaging, searched for targets and delivered upto-date mapping and panoramic views to support planning. Other systems offer unique capabilities, and are competing with Skylite B and Skylark for the next IDF mini-UAV program. IAI/Malat’s BirdEye 400 is a “flying-wing” style UAV, weighing 5 kg. The platform is unique in its ability to carry the MicroPOP payload under its belly, providing unobstructed hemispherical coverage. This conﬁguration gives the aircraft more ﬂexible maneuvering while maintaining the target in sight and eliminates the image rotation and disorientation of nose-mounted cameras. MicroPOP is one of the ﬁrst stabilized micro payloads designed speciﬁcally for mini-UAVs. It weighs only 1 kg., but offers the common stabilized mount and exchangeable electro-optical payload as in IAI’s larger POP designs. It has a 4-in.-dia. “ball,” including color daylight, 10-power zoom, uncooled thermal cameras with an 8-12-micron, 320 X 240-pixel detector and a narrow (7 deg.) ﬁeld of view. A newcomer to the market is the Lightener, developed by ITL Optronics. It looks similar to Skylark but is based on a different design where the fuselage housing the payload, a pusher propeller and the 2.5-meter (8.2-ft.) wing, is placed above the boom for better protection during landing. In weight and size, the Lightener is almost identical to Elbit Systems’ Skylark (5.5 kg. and a slightly larger wing span). It is designed to carry payloads of up to 1.2 kg. A complete system packed into a single backpack, including the ground station and data link, weighs 12 kg. The basic version is equipped with a Bental/TellFlight MicroBat 275, a stabilized payload offering a 10-power optical zoom, and weighs only 300 grams (10 oz.). Using an advanced six-channel ﬂightAviationWeek.com/dti DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL MAY 2008 http://AviationWeek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - May 2008 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch Learn and Live Think Again Vive la Difference En Route Out of the Box Package Deal On Watch Inside Job Programs Update The Net Back to the Future Busy Signal Mighty Mites Hull of an Idea Tough Enough Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - May 2008

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