French procurement agency DGA says it is launching two projects with research agency ONERA to develop a tactical maritime unmanned air vehicle (UAV) "to complement and in some cases replace functions currently served by boats". It plans to fly demonstrators by the end of next year.
"Ships can only see as far as the horizon, about 35-40nm [65-75km]," says Pierre Grandclément, DGA's head of seaborne air systems. "So, to see further, you must go higher, and to do that you need to have aircraft or UAVs…and aircraft are pricier."
One project envisages turning a helicopter into a UAV, "replacing the pilot with a CD-ROM", says Grandcl‚ment.
The second programme is a small, rotary-wing UAV that can land "on a relatively small, moving object: a ship".
Once this is achieved, "then we will look at what kind of payload we could put on it - our aim is to find the best compromise between airframe and payload", he adds.
Grandclément says the shipborne UAV "will be essentially dedicated to surveillance and only in a second phase will we consider arming it".
French UAV specialist Sagem is confident Spain will select the Sperwer tactical system within the next two years. More than 10 companies have briefed Spain on their programmes, but senior Spanish military officials say Sperwer is the favoured solution. Sagem adds: "It does appear that our solution is the one that interests them, but there is the problem of a lack of budget." Meanwhile, Greece has ordered three Sperwer systems. As part of the deal, the UAV's operating radius from the ground station has been increased by 50kmto 200km.Source: Flight International
