UVision Air has modified the Neo-400ES (Electric, Cruciform) loitering munition to technological level 8, so the final development stage and initial deployment of the production model is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.
The new 400EC system, an evolution of the previous Hego-400 system that featured a gasoline engine and rigid flat fenders, features a new electric motor specially designed for UVision by an unnamed contractor. An electric motor with low acoustic and thermal signatures allows flying in cruise mode at high speed and in low-speed loitering mode. The modified part of the hull with a folding cruciform tail (similar to the tail of the lighter patrolling system He-30 of the same company) provides a longer flight duration, lift and maneuverability, better accuracy in the final section of the trajectory for stationary and moving targets or targets in a limited urban space.
The new system has a length of 2.1 meters, a wingspan of 2.4 meters and a maximum take-off weight of 40 kg. Like the previous model Nego-400, the 400ES is equipped with a stabilized optoelectronic station and a two-way line-of-sight communication channel with a range of 40-150 km with a "man-in-the-loop" function, although the flight duration in loitering ammunition mode has been reduced from 4 to 2 hours from - for changing the type of mover.
The 400ES system retained all its reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, but the 8 kg high-explosive fragmentation ammunition in the previous version of the Nego-400 was replaced by a new, heavier universal warhead weighing 10 kg (tandem cumulative high-explosive fragmentation) to combat a wide range of targets. including main battle tanks.
The advanced task termination function allows automatic re-engagement of loitering, retargeting, or parachute re-entry. The operating altitude is 5500 meters with a flight / patrol speed of 50-150 knots.
Controlled by a single operator, the Nego-400EC system can be launched either from a rail or from a modular multi-barrel container that can be installed on any platform at the request of the customer, land, sea or air. The previous version of Nego-400 could not be launched from a container due to a fixed tail configuration or from offshore platforms due to a gasoline engine.
A UVision spokesman said that they have kept the original version of the He-400 and so far there is a need for such a configuration, mainly for reconnaissance tasks. "There are 400 of them so far, but now only the 400ES product remains as a loitering ammunition."
“Our customers want a larger, longer-range loitering munition with the same characteristics as our Nego-30 [3 kg portable container system with a 0.5 kg warhead, 5-40 km line-of-sight communication channel and maximum duration flight 30 minutes] to deal with larger targets. That is why the He-400ES system was born. " The company has now teamed up with Raytheon to promote the Hego-30 system under the US Army's Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) program.
In the meantime, the company is promoting its 400EC system to the market and in this regard, in December 2017, conducted an initial demonstration of the system for an unnamed "strategic" customer. According to the company, the demonstration “confirmed the capabilities of the system for tracking and capturing targets using the example of a moving vehicle and a person in different operational scenarios, as well as the ability of the function to terminate the task. The capabilities of high-precision target hitting were also demonstrated”.
The development of the Nego-400ES system has shifted to the right the deadlines for completing the development of another system - the tactical patrolling system for container launching Nego-120 weighing 12.5 kg, designed to fight at short distances with armored objects and structures. The Nego 120 system with an electric motor, equipped with a 4.5 kg warhead and a stabilized optoelectronic target load, has an extended flight duration of 60 minutes and a communication channel within the line of sight up to 60 km. Final work on the Hego-120 system was planned for late 2015, but a UVision spokesman said they were focusing on the Hego-400 EC system and that development on the Hego-120 would be completed when the 400EC system entered the market.
