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.