While appropriate that a European unmanned air vehicle should fly for the first time at the Paris air show on its 100th anniversary, the reality for the UAV industry is that Israel's dominance was clear.
Austria's Schiebel S-100 camcopter made history with its daily display at the show and at the end of the year an expected initial requirement contract will see further use of the helicopter by the German navy and army. But it is a rare occasion where an entirely European UAV is taken on by one of the continent's governments. Instead Israel's products are dominating the European market with high-profile examples of the UK buying Elbit Systems Hermes 450, through Thales, while the French have placed orders for Elbit's Skylark and are using Israel Aerospace Industry's Heron in Afghanistan.
Now IAI's Heron TP is in a strong position in a German competition, with a decision expected early next year. The choice is between the Heron and General Atomics Predator B. Heron could win again when France, and possibly Spain, decide in December if they will buy the Thales, Indra, Dassault team version of the TP called Système de Drone.
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© SchiebelAustria's Schiebel S-100 camcopter |
At the show IAI has also been able to boast about the recent news that its Heron is being used by the US military in El Salvador in the war on drugs.
Israeli companies also had more announcements at Paris than any other country's industry. New products and new versions of existing ones were among those anouncements, with Kadima-based BlueBird Aero Systems' fuel cell powered Boomerang, Elbit's catapult launched Hermes-90 UAV, which is based on Holon based-Innocon's Mini Falcon UAVs, and Innocon's Micro Falcon now being available with Bental Motion System's MicroBat sensor package.
Bental is also providing technology for Germany's 3W new UAV engine. Finally, Aeronautics Defense Systems announced that its Orbiter 3 maiden flight is being planned for August.
Europe's Sagem displayed its Patroller long-endurance surveillance vehicle and announced a successful first flight that occurred earlier this month. But it, like the full-scale model of the EADS Advanced UAV, is a project with no guarantee of full development by any government.
Worse still Germany's federal ministry of defence state secretary Rudiger Wolf has told his French and Spanish partners for Advanced UAV that his government will not continue with that project.
Among the major US UAV players at Paris, Raytheon revealed that its surveillance KillerBee product had completed flights using a heavy fuel engine and with a Linux-based control system. Raytheon is offering its KillerBee-4 version to the US military. And Northrop Grumman announced that it had started windtunnel tests for its new cargo concept called the Mover.
But back in Israel, Urban Aeronautics is preparing to test fly this month its prototype Mule ducted fan frontline logistics and medevac vehicle, which is a contender for the US Marine Corp's cargo UAV competition.
Reflecting the embyronic nature of the commercial UAV sector, Paris announcements saw the promotion of French start-up company Aeroart and its low-cost Featherlite mini-UAV and Alsace-based company Flying Robots' FR102 cargo UAV.
Aeroart sees its role as conducting civilian security and observation missions while Flying Robots says it is seeking certification for its cargo UAV from the European Aviation Safety Agency. The company is promoting its secure on-board mission control software where uncertificated workers can load and unload the FR102 and stop and start it so the vehicle can then follow a set route without any need for human intervention.
A company with more proven credibility in advanced avionics technology, Rockwell Collins declared that unpiloted commercial passenger aircraft would be a part of aviation's future. "UAVs will fly with manned aircraft in commercial airspace soon," says its senior director of control technologies David Vos.
While not offering any sense and avoid magic wands for integrated airspace UAV operations, Boeing did announce that it was setting up its Unmanned Airborne Systems division and that reliability would be its key selling point. But like the indigenous European industry on the international and domestic markets it will face a range of Israeli products that are already operationally proven.
Source: Flight International
