Thu, Jan 19, 2012
Fulmar UAV Was The Only Fully Spanish Model Presented To The
European Agency For Border Control Purposes
Thales and Aerovisión have given a real flight
demonstration of the Fulmar UAV for the European Agency Frontex,
which is charged with coordinating the border control operations of
the European Union member states.
Fulmar is a wholly Spanish project that is a global solution
that uses the Maritime Surveillance Systems of Thales Group. These
systems supply images and video in real time and integrate the
information in a security system, as is the case with border
control. Such systems facilitate surveillance and control of
maritime and border traffic and can provide inestimable support to
rescue operations.
The Fulmar UAV is a small-size model weighing only 41 pounds
that can fly at a height of 10,000 feet and achieve 80 knots, with
an 8-hour flight range that would allow it to fly nearly 500 miles
without having to refuel.
The demonstration for border authorities organized by Frontex was
held at the Aktio Air Base in the Greek locality of Preveza. For
three days, several international UAV manufacturers performed test
flights patrolling the west coast of Greece, with Fulmar being the
only Spanish product to demonstrate its capacities in a market
dominated by unmanned aerial vehicles from the United States and
Israel.
The demonstration confirmed the ease of installation and flying of
the UAV, as it does not require a runway for takeoff and landing.
It is launched from a catapult and is recovered by means of an
impact-absorbing net. Both elements are simple to install in a
short time and in different places. This facilitates the assembly
and handling of the system and differentiates it from other models
on the market.
In the demonstration for border authorities organized by
Frontex, the Fulmar flew for two hours, detecting the information
sent in from the different points established for the flight and
sending images and video in real time that were viewed by the
attendants at the ground base. The aircraft displayed its capacity
to integrate with maritime surveillance systems such as radars, a
crucial aspect in this type of unmanned aerial surveillance
system. (Image provided by Aerovision)
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