Israeli manufacturer unveils aggressive marketing plans at Aero India show
Israel's Aeronautics Defense Systems displayed its Dominator medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle publicly for the first time at the Aero India air show earlier this month, with its appearance underlining an aggressive campaign to promote the system for the Indian military's lucrative surveillance market.
Powered by a 160hp (120kW) Lycoming engine, the pusher-configuration air vehicle has a swept wing, with an 8m (26.2ft) span, large winglets and an overall length of 8m. Aeronautics says the operational design, which has a maximum take-off weight of 800kg (1,760lb) including a 400kg payload, has an operating ceiling of 25,000ft (7,620m) and provides "extraordinary endurance".
The design has a reported cruise speed of 90-150kt (170-280km/h), giving it a significantly faster transit capability than other rivals in the MALE sector, says Idan Shimon, Aeronautics' vice-president for marketing.
The vehicle displayed in India had a twin payload configuration comprising a MSSP-3 electro-optic/infrared ball turret supplied by Aeronautics subsidiary Controp and a high-resolution synthetic-aperture radar/ground moving-target indication sensor supplied by Israel Aircraft Industries. The Dominator also has an automatic take-off and landing capability, integrated anti-icing system and carries identification friend-or-foe equipment, says the Yavne-based company.
Aeronautics declines to provide further details on the Dominator's performance characteristics, or its operational employment, but its swept-wing design and additional underwing fuel tanks suggest a system with a likely mission endurance in excess of 24h. The company also exhibited its Aerolight, Aerostar and Orbiter UAVs at Aero India.
CRAIG HOYLE / BANGALORE
Source: Flight International
