U.K Military Made Herti-IA AND Corax UAV BAE SYSYTEMS

MALE UAV AND HERTI-1A UAV BAE SYTEM

Several MALE UAV systems are being developed by European companies. Two of these are pure European efforts. BAE (UK) is developing the Herti-1A MALE based on a Polish powered glider airframe. Dassault (France), Alenia (Italy) and Saab (Sweden) agreed in June 2007 to develop a MALE, based on expertise gained from the Neuron project and probably absorbing Alenia’s own Sky-Y MALE technology demonstrator programme. Other European partners are planned and while it is a company initiative, funding from EU governments is sought.

MALE UAV

It is interesting that the new Dassault/Alenia/Saab programme seems to contradict a 2004 Dassault-EADS agreement whereby Dassault would take responsibility for UCAV and EADS for MALE development. Other programmes are based on Israeli or US technology with different degrees of European input: the French Eagle and the British Watchkeeper programmes use Israeli UAV aircraft with locally-developed payloads; the RQ-1 is assembled in Italy and carries a US-produced payload.



Most recent are EU efforts to develop a HALE UAV. EADS initiated development of an Advanced UAV in 2005 with support from France and Germany, and in 2007 Spain joined the project. A formal development contract, which includes Thales and Indra, is expected soon and the project is open for additional industrial or country participants.

HERTI -IA UAV

CORAX UAV BAE SYSTEM

The UK has launched two programmes, Taranis and Corax (Raven). BAe Systems, which has financed UAV/UCAV development for the past decade, has been appointed to lead a UK industrial team for the UK-government funded £124m (€185m) Taranis development in 2006. Taranis is a long range UCAV, the size of a small combat aircraft, powered by a full size turbofan and will have intercontinental range. Taranis builds on the experiences of the BAe-developed Kestrel and Corax UAVs.

Currently, Taranis is designated a demonstrator programme, meant to develop a working UCAV, but not necessarily an operational system. Corax is basically a high-end UAV development, using stealth technologies, under development since 2003 and unveiled in 2006. The aircraft is large enough to function as a UCAV. A third programme in which UK with industry involvement is the X-48B, a reduced-size prototype has been built by Cranfield Aerospace for the US company Boeing.