IAI Continues to Grow in Unmanned Arena

Israel Aerospace Industries (Chalet CD03) has been a pioneer of unmanned vehicles for four decades, and its expertise in the sector continues to grow. Although best-known for its large UAVs, such as the Heron that recently logged its 70,000th combat flying hour over Afghanistan (serving with Australia, Canada, France and Germany), IAI has also designed a range of smaller unmanned vehicles and associated technologies.

A new development is the signing of a memorandum of agreement with Korean composite manufacturer Hankuk Carbon, under which the companies will create a joint venture to manufacture and market vertical take-off UAVs. Forecasts suggest that demand for VTUAVs for shipborne use will grow considerably over the next few years, and the new joint venture will focus initially on developing a vehicle of between 440 and 660 pounds weight that meets the needs of the Republic of Korea Navy.

Another project for the JV will be to add shipborne take-off and landing capability to IAI’s FE-Panther UAV, which was first unveiled in October last year. The FE-Panther is a front-engined version of the hybrid fixed-wing/tilt-rotor design, powered by lithium polymer electric motors for the tilting rotors and a combustion engine driving a nose-mounted propeller for cruising flight. FE-Panther has a radius of around 80 miles (130km) carrying a 13-pound (6-kg) payload.

Here in Singapore IAI (at Stand N41) is also showcasing its new MOIC (mission operational and intelligence center) for UAV operations. This modular system provides the integrated management and control of UAV fleets with various platforms and payloads, allocating different assets according to operational requirements. The MOIC also sorts and streamlines the data flow from the UAV assets.

Drawing on both its radar expertise and knowledge of the UAV sector, IAI has recently developed a counter-drone capability. Known as Drone Guard, the system was created to protect critical national infrastructure, events and public figures from the threat presented by small drones, which could even be weaponized. Developed by IAI subsidiary Elta, Drone Guard employs an ELM-2026 3D radar in one of three range capabilities (10, 15 or 20 km). The radar is specially adapted with drone-tracking algorithms, and can be integrated with electro-optical sensors for visual target identification. Adaptive jamming systems can disrupt the drone’s control systems, forcing it to either return immediately to its “home”, or to shut down and crash-land.