BAE Systems has teamed with Composite Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) to develop a manned/unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle (ARV) variant of the Malaysian Eagle 150 light aircraft.
Jeffrey McCray, BAE Systems North America vice-president for international marketing, says the aircraft, dubbed the Eagle 150B ARV, will feature an automated flight control system (FCS), sensor systems and datalink to allow remote operation via a ground control station (GCS). The ARV will also be equipped with a turret-mounted Wescam forward looking infrared/electro-optical sensor.
"It will be capable of automated take-off, flight and landing, and the system is flexible enough to allow a man to fly it," says McCray.
"This aircraft has military and civil uses," he adds, including battlefield reconnaissance, border and maritime surveillance, pollution monitoring, police patrol and monitoring fires. BAE is proposing the aircraft to the Malaysian military, paramilitary and law enforcement agencies.
Also involved in the programme is Excelnet, which will jointly develop the GCS. The first of up to four ARV prototypes will be completed, along with one GCS, by next October, says BAE.
The Eagle 150 is an all-composite trainer, with tandem wings and a conventional empennage. It is powered by a 90kW (125hp) Teledyne Continental IO-240-B7B engine, and offers a maximum endurance of 5h and a useful load of 220kg (485lb).
Source: Flight International
