Israeli company Aeronautics Defense Systems has revealed that it is in the first stages of negotiations with an undisclosed European country that is interested in acquiring an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV).
Aeronautics has developed an unmanned air system capability based on Diamond Aircraft's DA42 general aviation platform, which it offers to potential export operators as the Dominator XP. But chief executive Dany Eshchar says the current negotiations are based on the use of an aircraft type that the client will select.
"We know how to do it, but the negotiations are in an early stage," Eshchar says.
The potential customer is in the process of making a decision between acquiring an OPV or medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system, he adds.
By retaining onboard controls, an optionally piloted aircraft can be operated in a conventional manner during missions in which direct human control is preferred or desired, Aeronautics says. It sees this concept as gaining in popularity because of the variety of missions that aerial platforms are now required to perform.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
