Tactical unmanned air vehicle system to take part in major exercise to assess performance in integrated fire mission
South Africa's Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE) exhibited its first series production Vulture tactical unmanned air vehicle system at the Africa Aerospace and Defence show, ahead of the type's delivery to the South African National Defence Force in February 2005.
Developed by ATE to meet a South African army requirement for a daytime artillery-targeting UAV, the Vulture system recently completed qualification trials at the country's Gerotek test range. Final work now under way is concentrating on integrating the system within the army artillery's command and control network, says the company.
The South African army and ATE will conduct a major exercise in December or next January to assess the Vulture's performance during an integrated fire mission, says Cobus Stoltz, programme manager for the company's UAV division. Following its delivery to the service in February, the system will enter an operational test and evaluation phase of about four months, set to conclude in mid-June.
The army's Vulture UAVs will perform autonomous missions, with the platform's sensor payload to be controlled from a ground control station via a secure datalink. The design will be delivered with a sensor package comprising a combined low-light infrared camera, automatic tracker and laser rangefinder, although future growth options include the possible integration of a thermal-imaging sensor for night-time use and other payloads suitable for dedicated reconnaissance tasks.
ATE also plans to extend the operating range and endurance of the Vulture UAV by using a more fuel-efficient direct-injection engine, which it says will double the type's maximum endurance to about 6h.
A new datalink will also enable the system to operate up to 200km (110nm) away from its ground control station, up from a current maximum of 60km. ATE also plans to launch work to clear the design for use in civilian airspace following its introduction into army service, says Stoltz.
ATE is already promoting its Vulture system to several undisclosed nations in Africa and Asia, and still hopes to offer the design through Australia's Joint Project 129 tactical UAV contest. "We believe our design will meet the Australian requirement with only minor changes," says Stoltz.
Source: Flight International
