The Dassault Aviation-Sagem Tactical UAV (DSTU) joint venture will fly its Moyen Duc stealth tactical unmanned air vehicle for the first time late this year. The design is being developed under a joint bid for the French army's multi-sensor, multi-mission (MCMM) UAV requirement, with the proposed system to also include Sagem's Sperwer B.
DSTU had been planning an initial flight in late 2003, but slowed the development programme after the army launched a yet-to-be concluded review of its MCMM requirements.
The Moyen Duc will have a low-altitude dash speed of 656ft/sec (200m/sec) and a surveillance speed of 197ft/sec. DSTU says that during fast reconnaissance missions the UAV will operate at around 1,000ft (305m), storing imagery on board. It will then perform a pop-up manoeuvre, climbing to 10,000ft within 3min to re-establish line-of-sight communications and download time-critical data.
The Sperwer B would perform extended surveillance missions, although Sagem is continuing to examine weaponisation options.
Source: Flight International
