South African-based Advanced Technologies and Engineering has signed production phase contracts with the South African state armaments corporation Armscor for the Vulture unmanned air vehicle system to equip army artillery units.
A deal was finalised last month, ATE says, with this to allow for full production to start after several years of development, test and system enhancement.
No values for the order have been released. Armscor confirmed on 11 August that contracts have been signed.
ATE says that the final testing of pre-production phase systems involved a two-week operational evaluation, during which Vulture achieved 23 sorties with both day and night time flying conducted.
ATE was selected to supply Vulture in 1994 with prototypes making their debut flight in 1994. Qualification trials were held at South Africa’s Gerotek range in mid-2004 with these identifying a number of capability shortfalls, resulting in selection of an improved engine and longer-range datalink.
The operational test and evaluation phase had originally been expected to be finalised in June last year.
Production systems will be delivered with a sensor package comprising a combined low-light infrared camera, automatic tracker and laser range finder.
ATE says the production agreement “confirms that the South African defence industry has the capability to develop an indigenous system that can be deployed both locally and abroad”.
Source: Flight International
