Biggest UAV Project In Europe

EADS says it's won a huge contract that should lead to the purchase of 160 very close-range UAV systems in Europe. In fact, the European conglomerate says this is the largest very close range UAV systems program in Europe.

The EADS Tracker system has been chosen for its performance, its innovative technology, the operational suitability of its architecture, and EADS Defence and Communications Systems (DCS) has been awarded the DRAC (close range reconnaissance UAV) contract by the French armaments procurement agency (DGA), according to EADS executives. Under this contract DCS will be required to develop, test and manufacture a total of 160 very close-range UAV systems for the French army.

DRAC is the largest acquisition program for close range battlefield reconnaissance UAV systems launched in Europe at the present time. The contract is worth a total of 30 million euros for 160 systems. The DGA’s decision to accept the bid submitted by EADS in response to an international request for proposals, is confirmation of the Tracker system’s innovative nature and excellent performance. It can also be also attributed to the product’s maturity and the fact that it is ideally suited to the specific requirements of close range reconnaissance missions.

Other decisive factors were the system’s transportability and the rapidity with which it can be deployed, the exceptional quality of the images it supplies, and the robustness of its architecture. Serving as a means of aerial reconnaissance and surveillance rather like «an extended pair of binoculars», DRAC enables an operator to gather, display and process real-time images at a distance of up to 10 kilometers, by day or by night.

One of the intended missions of the DRAC system is to immediately detect all presence or advancing infantry units or vehicles at a particular location or within a specific corridor in the command zone of the reconnaissance units, without having to deploy any ground sensors. Each system consists of two fixed-wing aerial vehicles from the Tracker series, interchangeable gyro-stabilized visible-spectrum and infrared payloads, a data link and a portable, multifunction, hardened ground station. The latter in turn comprises two sets of functions: for mission preparation and control and for payload operation respectively. The complete equipment is packed in a rucksack that can be easily transported and deployed by two men.

This feature makes DRAC particularly suitable for use by paratroopers. The responsibility for developing and manufacturing the DRAC systems has been conferred on EADS, as overall prime contractor, working in partnership with SurveyCopter. The flight and landing systems operate under automatic control. After being launched manually, the DRAC’s flight envelope allows it to remain in flight for 90 minutes and cover a range of 10 kilometers. Despite the technical complexity of the systems, the control functions available to the operator are simplified for ease of use and to facilitate training.

Powered by a silent electric motor and equipped with sensors providing extremely accurate, high-quality images, the DRAC is capable of carrying out highly discrete real time observation of a defined zone under night conditions. «In a system approach EADS already leads the European market unmanned aerial vehicles as an integral part of ISR systems. EADS says this new contract strengthens the company’s position as a global player and leading European provider of the full range of ISR systems,» declared Stefan Zoller, Chief Executive Officer of EADS Defence and Communications Systems.

FMI: www.eads.com