Southeast Asia
In 2012, Indonesia bought four 500kg IAI Searcher IIs, which are used primarily to combat pirates in the Straits of Malacca. In April 2013, plans were announced for the local development of the 120 kg Wulung for the Indonesian Air Force. It will be designed by the Technology Assessment and Implementation Agency (BPPT) and manufactured by Indonesian Aerospace.
In 2007, Malaysian companies Composites Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM), Ikramatic Systems and Systems Consultancy Services formed a joint venture Unmanned Systems Technology (UST). The UST website lists its products: a 200 kg Aludra in a pushing two-bladed propeller configuration, a 2.1 kg Aludra SR-08 flying wing and an Intisar 400 helicopter likely in the 100 kg class.
The 500-kg Yabhon Aludra with the front empennage is a joint development of UST and Adcom Systems from the United Arab Emirates. In the interests of the Malaysian Air Force, two such drones are operated along with two Aludra Mk2s and two Scan Eagles from Boeing / Insitu, nor are they carrying out reconnaissance missions over eastern Sabah.
In 2013, it was reported that Malaysia was going to cooperate with Pakistan on the development of a long-range drone with a long flight duration.
The Philippine Army has partnered with Obi Mapua to develop the Assunta 14kg drone. However, the plans to use this drone ultimately did not come true, as two 180-kg Emit Aviation Blue Horizon II drones were purchased, manufactured under license from Singapore Technologies Aerospace (STA).
In late 2013, the Philippine Army announced that it was using two types of low-cost drones in its counterinsurgency operations, the $ 6,700 Knight Falcon and the $ 3,400 Raptor; both are developed by its R&D team based on the Skywalker RC model made by the Hong Kong company.
Since 2002, the Philippine Army has received intelligence from American drones, mainly from the General Atomics Gnat 750 and Predator-A used by the CIA, and from the Aerovironment Puma, Sensitel Silver Fox and ScanEagle from Boeing / Insitu used by the American military. A Predator drone in the Philippines in 2006 unsuccessfully fired Hellfire missiles at the bases of the Indonesian terrorists Umar Patek, who were accused of the terrorist attack in Bali in 2002.
The Singapore Air Force received 40 IAI Searcher drones in 1994 to replace the 159-kg IAI Scout, which Singapore received 60 units at one time. Searcher has been in service with the squadron in the Murai Camp since 1998, but in 2012 the unit began to switch to the 1150-kg IAI Heron I. Another drone squadron in the Singapore Air Force is stationed in Tengah, in 2007 it adopted the 550-kg Elbit Hermes 450.
The Singapore 5-kg Skyblade III drone was jointly developed by ST Aerospace, DSO National Laboratories, DSTA and the army of this country, which is armed with it. Later projects by ST Aerospace include the 70 kg Skyblade IV, which entered service with the Singapore Army in 2012. The 9.1 kg Skyblade 360 uses fuel cell technology to achieve a flight duration of six hours. The new 1.5-kg SkyViper heliport is still being tested. At the Singapore Airshow in February 2014, the company unveiled its Ustar-X with four rotors and Ustar-Y with six rotors.
It is believed that the Thai Air Force bought one Aeronautics Aerostar system weighing 210 kg in late 2010 for comparison with the 220 kg G-Star, which was developed on the basis of the 150-kg Innocon Mini-Falcon II from the Thai company G-Force Composites. It looks like Aerostar won, as about 20 more drones were bought in 2012. The Air Force Academy has a small number of 65kg Sapura Cyber Eye, purchased from Malaysia's Sapura Secured Technologies, for which its Australian subsidiary CyberFlight is developing drones.
In 2010, the Thai Air Force began developing the Tigershark drone as part of a research program. The Thai Army, which previously operated four Searchers, received twelve 1.9kg RQ-11Ravens from AeroVironment.
Vietnam has lagged behind in drone use to date, although the Institute of Defense Technology developed and tested the M-100CT and M-400CT target drones in 2004 and 2005. The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology manufactured five vehicles ranging in mass from 4 to 170 kg, and tested three of them in 2013. At present, most likely Vietnam will buy a 100-kg Grif-1 developed by the Belarusian aircraft repair plant No. 558, which made its maiden flight in February 2012.
The DRDO Nishant (Dawn) reconnaissance drone first took off in 1995, but is still used by the Indian Army and Central District Police in limited numbers.
One of the products of the Pakistani company Satuma (Surveillance And Target Unmanned Aircraft) is the 245-kg Flamingo, which carries 30 kg equipment and has a maximum flight duration of 8 hours.
The 40 kg Mukhbar short-range reconnaissance drone (informant) from Satuma is a scaled-down version of the 145 kg Jasoos II (Bravo II), the same company that has been heavily used by the Pakistani Air Force since 2004.
Shahpar-3 weighing 480-kg was developed and manufactured by the GIDS consortium, and a multi-sensor station Aero Zumr-1 (EP) was installed on it. It has been in service with the Pakistani Air Force and Army since 2012.
South Asia
India is the primary user of Israeli drones, having received at least 108 IAI Searcher and 68 Heron I UAVs, plus various Harpy and Harop patrol weapons. The Searcher II has been reportedly manufactured under license in India since 2006. At the end of 2013, the government approved the purchase of 15 more Heron machines for $ 195 million.
The main drone developer in India is the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). About 100 Lakshya target drones have been manufactured, but apparently no more than 12 Nishant reconnaissance drones have been manufactured for the Indian army to date. The Rustom series is intended to replace the Heron and serves as the base for the attack drone. The essentially new Rustom II drone was scheduled to fly around mid-2014.
There are several small private companies operating in Pakistan that are active in the drone industry. For example, Satuma has developed the 245-kg Flamingo medium-range, 145-kg Jasoos II tactical range (nicknamed "the workhorse of the country"), 40-kg Mukhbar short-range and 7.5 kg Stingray minidron.
Global Industrial and Defense Solutions (GIDS) developed 480 kg Shahpar, 200 kg Uqab, Huma and 4 kg Scout. The Uqab drone is operated by the Pakistani army and navy and has recently been joined by the Shahpar drone, which looks like the Chinese CH-3. Another local development is the Burraq strike drone, created by the state-owned National Engineering & Scientific Commission (Nescom).
Integrated Dynamics has developed several drone projects, including the Border Eagle, which has been exported to five countries, including Libya. The Pakistani Armed Forces have ordered 10.8 kg of Skycam drones from the same company.
In 2006, Pakistan ordered five 420-kg Falco satellites from Selex ES with further licensed production by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The Pakistani army and navy are armed with a 40 kg EMT Lunadrone drone.
The Sri Lankan Air Force has two IAI Searcher II drone units, Squadrons 111 and 112. They previously operated the IAI Super Scout (since 1996) and the Emit BlueHorizon II.
One of the most successful drones in the world, the IAI Heron, is in service with 21 countries. Four countries have used it in Afghanistan; on the photo a drone of the australian air force
Israel
Israel has been a world leader in drone development for four decades, largely due to the success of IAI / Malat, which began producing unmanned aerial vehicles in 1974. Israeli drones have flown over 1.1 million hours in over 50 countries. According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, Israel is responsible for 41% of drones sold worldwide in the first decade of this century.
The first of two IAI Super Heron HF (HeavyFuel) experimental vehicles (registration 4X-UMF) made its maiden flight in October 2013. The container under the right wing houses the automatic take-off and landing system
IAI Super Heron first appeared in public at the Singapore Airshow in February 2014 with a full complement of equipment, including the Elta Mosp 3000-HD optoelectronic station and the EL / M-2055D synthetic aperture radar / selection of ground moving targets
Although the IAI Heron TP first flew around 2004 and has been in active service since 2009, the first Israeli Air Force unit officially entered service in December 2010.
In the photo, the Elbit Hermes 900, which made its first flight over the Golan Heights in 2009, is apparently aimed at conquering the market for reconnaissance drones weighing one ton. It has already been selected by the Israeli army and four overseas customers.
As evidenced by this photograph of a Hermes 900 with Selex Gabbiano marine radar, Elbit has the ability to upgrade its device to customer requirements.
One of the most successful tactical drones was the 220 kg Aeronautics Aerostar drone, which was introduced in 2001 and has been ordered by 15 countries to date.
The 1250-kg Heron I (locally called Shoval) flew for the first time in 1994. The Heron is operated in 21 countries, four of which have used it in Afghanistan. The Heron family has flown in total over 250,000 flight hours.
The latest version with a Heron piston engine is the 1,452 kg Super Heron HF (Heavy Fuel). The first of the two prototypes is believed to have taken off for the first time in October 2013 (IAI is strangely silent about this) and was shown in Singapore in February 2014. It is equipped with a 149 kW Dieseljet Fiat engine, the duration of the aircraft being in the air for 45 hours.
Super Heron was presented at the exhibition with the IAI Mosp3000-HD optoelectronic station and the M-2055D radar from IAI / Elta EL. Also, various communication and electronic intelligence systems ELK-1894 Satcom, ELL-8385 ESM / Elint and ALK-7065 3D Compact HF Comint were installed on the fuselages. Several antennas of the ELK-7071 Comint / DF radio reconnaissance and direction finding system are fixed on the tail booms, and the sensor of the automatic take-off and landing system is located in the container under the right wing.
The much heavier (4,650 kg) Heron Tpor or Eitan with a turboprop was given its baptism of fire when the Israeli Air Force struck a convoy carrying Iranian weapons through Sudan in 2009. It competes with the American MQ-9 for orders from several major European powers.
Other IAI products include the 436 kg Searcher III. The Searcher drone is in service with 14 countries, including Spain and Singapore, which have used it in Afghanistan. The Panther series of drones with vertical take-off and landing rotary propellers consists of a 65 kg Panther and a 12 kg mini-Panther. At the bottom end of the IAI range are the 5.6kg Bird Eye 400 and 11kg Bird Eye 650. The Panther and Bird Eye drones have been tested with fuel cells.
The Aeronautics Orbiter series minidrones, even more widespread than the Aerostar, are offered for military and paramilitary applications and are operated in 20 countries
There is a growing interest in a "winged grenade" that can deliver its warhead accurately and at a greater distance than traditional throwable counterparts. Bluebird MicroB is a prime example.
The 9 kg electric BlueBird Spylite can stay aloft for up to 4 hours. The number of users in addition to the Chilean army includes one of the African countries
The 60 kg BlueBird Blueye drone was created not only for tasks such as delivering small emergency supplies to forward bases, but also as an aerial component of a photogrammetric system for rapid terrain mapping.
Elbit Systems' drones have flown over 500,000 flight hours in total, thanks largely to the 550kg Hermes 450, which operates in 12 countries and is also the base for the Thales Watchkeeper. The new 115 kg Hermes 90 made its first flight in 2009.
Elbit's 1180kg Hermes 900 also took off for the first time in 2009, and was selected by the Israeli Air Force as the next generation drone in 2012.
It recently received the designation Kochav (star). It is also in service with Chile, Colombia, Mexico and other countries. Switzerland had to choose between the Hermes 900 and the Heron I by mid-2014. In 2013, more than 50 Hermes drones were manufactured.
Elbit's smaller electric drones include the 7.5kg Skylark ILE. This drone is of the level of the Israeli army battalion, it is also in service with over 20 armies and French special forces. The 65kg Skylark II, which was launched from the vehicle, was chosen as a brigade-level drone and was tested with fuel cell power.
The leader of the Aeronautics family is the 220 kg Aerostar, which was purchased by 15 customers and has flown over 130,000 flight hours in total. The Orbiter series of this company is in service with 20 armies and consists of a 7-kg Orbiter-I, 9.5-kg Orbiter-II (used by the Israeli Air Force and Navy, ordered by Finland) and a 20-kg Orbiter-III.
The 40-kg Aerolight flies not only in the Israeli Air Force, the US Navy and in other branches of the military. The 720-kg Picador is a variant of the Belgian two-seater Dynali H2S. It first flew in 2010 and is designed to operate from Israeli corvettes.
BlueBird Aero Systems has developed a 1.5kg manual launch MicroB, a 9kg SpyLite, which is used by the Israeli army and others (including the Chilean army), and an 11kg WanderB, which takes off from runways. In 2013, the company introduced the 24 kg ThunderB with a flight duration of 20 hours.
BlueBird excelled in the creation of the first production Boomerang fuel cell minidron weighing 10 kg, which was purchased by the Ethiopian army.
Innocon manufactures 3.5 kg Spider, 6 kg MicroFalcon-LP and 10 kg MicroFalcon-LE with articulated wing, 90 kg MiniFalconI and 150 kg MiniFalcon II and 800 kg Falcon Eye, which is based on a manned vehicle.
The 150-kg MiniFalcon II from Innocon, typically rail-launched, is equipped with a wheeled chassis with sleds for either landing on a runway or for landing on a field or beach. Takeoff and landing at the device are automatic
Adcom Systems has created a series of high-performance target drones that appear to be the main source of revenue for the company. Russia is considered one of the main customers. In the photo there is a 570-kg Yabhon-X2000, which has a cruising speed of up to 850 km / h and a flight duration of up to two hours.
The Yabhon RX from Adcom Systems is a 160kg tactical reconnaissance drone that takes off from a rail and lands automatically on two retractable tandem sleds, although it also has an emergency parachute on board.
Other Middle East
The main drone developer in Iran appears to be Qods Aeronautics Industries (QAI), a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, although a number of drones for operator and target drone training were manufactured by Iran Aircraft Manufacturing (Hesa), which is part of the Iran Aerospace Industries Organization. (IAIO).
The QAI Mohajer-1 (migrant) reconnaissance drone took off in 1981 and flew 619 sorties in the war with Iraq, possibly with a fixed camera, although it could be converted into a loitering attack drone with an RPG-7 warhead. More than 200 advanced 85 kg Mohajer-2 drones have been manufactured. The next model Mohajer-3 or Dorna has an increased range and flight duration, while in the Mohajer-4 or Hodhod version with a mass of 175 kg, these characteristics were further increased. It is in service with the Iranian army and corps, was sold to Hezbollah, Sudan and Syria and was manufactured under license from Venezuela under the name Arpia.
The lighter (83 kg) Abalil (swallow) drone from QAI is operated by Iran, Sudan and Hezbollah. Three vehicles were shot down in 2006 over Israel and in 2009 over Iraq (US Air Force), as well as over Sudan (rebels) in 2012.
Shahed-129 (witness) from QAI is similar to the Watchkeeper from Thales, with a flight duration of 24 hours, and most likely it belongs to the 1000 kg weight category. It has two arms for weapons, and according to some sources, its serial production began in 2013. However, the largest drone is IAIO's Fotros, which was shown at the end of 2013. He has two transport and launch containers, and the flight duration is 30 hours.
Iran appears to have several strike drones in service, including the Ra'ad-85, which began production in 2013, the twin-engined Sarir (throne), and the Toophan-2 very similar to the Harpy.
The new Iranian design, unveiled in 2013 and named Yasir, closely resembles the ScanEagle with twin tail spars and an added inverted V-tail. The only Iranian jet drone is the 900 kg Hesa Karrar (strike force), which can carry one 200 kg or two 113 kg bombs.
Arabian Peninsula
The United Arab Emirates company Adcom Systems initially produced a series of target drones that were sold to several countries, including Russia, and then moved on to production of reconnaissance drones.
Initially they had a traditional design, but Adcom focused on large aspect ratio wings tandemly mounted on a serpentine fuselage. Whether positive interference is achieved here between the two wings is only probably the Adcom company knows. It is absolutely clear only that releasing the load from under any wing will create a longitudinal displacement of the center of gravity.
Adcom has been looking at various propulsion options for a series of eye-catching drones. In Dubai in 2013, the company unveiled a mock-up of the ten-ton Global Yabhon project with two unnamed turbofan engines and a wide range of weapons. Of course, of greater interest (presumably from Russia and Algeria) is the previous version of the United 40 Block5 with a two-piston engine weighing 1500 kg, which is already flying and, according to the company, has a flight duration of 100 hours.
Among the few mid-range, long-range twin-engine drones on the market is the two-ton Yabhon United 40 Block 5 tandem winged Adcom Systems. It made its Dubai debut in 2013 and appears to have sparked interest from Russia and Algeria.
Europe
There are few good drones in Europe that could be sold for export. Among them, Austria with its 200-kg Schiebel Camcopter S-100, France with a 250-kg Sagem Sperwer, Germany with a 40-kg EMT Luna, Italy with a Selex ES 450-kg Falco and a series of Mirach targets, Norway with a 16-gram Prox Dynamics PD-100 Black Hornet (first microdron to reach operational readiness) and Sweden with 150/180-kg CybAero Apid 55/60.
Promising vehicles include the French 1050-kg Sagem Patroller (mentioned in the first part of this article), the Italian 6145-kg Piaggio Aero P.1HH Hammerhead, the Spanish 200-kg Indra Pelicano (based on the Apid 60) and the Swedish 230-kg Saab Skeldar -200. The Skeldar drone actually conquered the world, surprisingly the first order came from another country, specifically from the Spanish fleet. It will be interesting to see how the Piaggio Avanti succeeds as a drone as it is based on a business jet.
With a lot of help from investors from the Arabian Peninsula, Piaggio has begun development of an unmanned version of its P-180 Avanti tandem business jet. Pictured is a full-size mockup at the 2014 Dubai Airshow. The large-diameter fuselage will allow it to accommodate a large number of electronic and electronic intelligence systems, as well as additional fuel. With a load of 200 kg, it will have a flight duration of 16 hours. The functional systems to be installed on it include the Selex SkyIstar, the Flir Starfire 380HD ventral station and the Seaspray 7300 E Radar (pictured)
Originally developed for the United Arab Emirates, which ordered 60 systems, the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 has become one of the few successful European projects. The S-100 in the photo is equipped with the Sage ESM electronic intelligence system from Selex SE
The Selex ES Falco drone is in service with Pakistan (manufactures it under license), Jordan and Saudi Arabia. In 2013, Selex was awarded a three-year contract to provide support to Falco in UN operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The existence of a fairly large number of countries that claim to have completely developed their own drones, but are still buying Western models, is proof that developing drones is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.
However, it is quite clear that Europe is currently limited to a small piece of the global drone market, with the possible exception of the segment of maritime helicopter systems. There have been government statements of intent for international cooperation on drones for several years, but they have not been adequately funded.
One of the obvious gaps in the market is the lack of a mid-range drone with a long flight duration with two engines, backup systems, anti-icing measures and a tail configuration that allows you to raise the nose when landing.
In 2010, a principled British-French agreement was reached on the development of the Male (medium-altitude, long-duration) Telemos drone, which is largely considered the development of BAE Systems' twin-engine turboprop Mantis, which first took off in late 2009. However, Telemos could rival Eads' twin-engine Talarion jet drone; a situation that resembles other mutually damaging duplications (for example, Typhoon-Rafale). As a result, funding was kept to a minimum.
In December 2013, all 28 European Union countries signed agreements to develop an unarmed Male-class reconnaissance drone that could enter service around 2022. If the project is properly funded and does not get lost in the bureaucratic corridors, then this can give results, although the final product can meet with competition from any country. This is motorcycle glider territory, not rocket science.
On the other hand, at the opposite end of the spectrum, we see that the development of strike drones requires a high level of technology and funding. Dassault leads a consortium of six countries (France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland). Under the € 535 million program (France pays half), the consortium developed the Neuron drone, which first took off in December 2012. The eight-ton Taranis drone, which was developed under a British program led by BAE Systems and funded by the British government and industry, took off in August 2013. This cost £ 185 million. The main purpose of the Taranis is to lay the groundwork for an attack UAV that could become available after 2030 as a potential replacement for the Typhoon.
The outcome of the British-French meeting in January 2014 was the Declaration of Security and Defense, which included a statement on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). This was preceded by a 15-month preparatory phase led by six industry partners: Dassault Aviation, BAE Systems, Thales France, Selex ES, Rolls-Royce and Safran. The statement says a two-year phase of a feasibility study worth £ 120 million, which will be complemented by national studies worth £ 40 million for each company. As part of this phase, the necessary concepts and technologies will be developed.
Selex is developing a larger version of its Falco known as the Falco Evo (Evolution). Basically, it has a significantly larger wingspan and longer tail booms. Long flight duration and carrying capacity will allow long-range reconnaissance missions with equipment consisting of a Selex Picosar synthetic aperture radar installed in the nose and electronic warfare sensors installed on the wingtips
Saab helped CybAero build the Aspid-55 and went on to develop an all-new 235kg Skeldar-V200 that, with a heavy fuel engine installed, can fly for up to six hours with a 40kg payload.
A related memorandum of understanding for the next phase of FCAS was signed at the 2014 Farnborough Airshow. As a result, the two countries "will be ideally positioned in 2016 to decide whether to cooperate in the demonstration and production phases." In other words, times are tough and there is no urgent need for shock drones, but Europe cannot afford to lose its existing technicians.
Europe is strongly encouraged to develop high-tech drones as several low-living countries want to gain a foothold in the aerospace industry and believe the easiest way to gain their place in the sun is with low-tech drones with superior sales prospects. Brazil and South Korea have proven by their own example that a strong aerospace industry can be created from scratch and countries such as Thailand and Vietnam want to follow their path.
While major European powers struggle to maintain some semblance of aerospace capability, Turkey is slowly but surely gaining its place in the drone business. At the end of 2010, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) first flew its 1500-kg Male-drone Anka, which in the Block A version with the Aselsan Aselflir-300T optoelectronic station has a flight duration of 18 hours. Satellite communications will be added to the Block B option. If Turkish Engine Industries (TEI) can increase the power of its Thielert Centurion 2.0 engine, then Aselsan's synthetic aperture radar can be installed on the Anka drone in the future. TEI also partnered with GE Aviation to develop a new engine for the Anka drone.
Exporting Turkish drones can be a very profitable business, especially given the good relations with countries like Egypt and Pakistan. The Bayraktar minidron is one of the most promising products manufactured by Baykar Makina, the Turkish army ordered 200 of these drones.
Europe's flagship drone strike project is the Neuron program, which involves six countries with Dassault Aviation as the prime contractor. Neuron took off in December 2012, pictured is its maiden flight with the landing gear extended.
In the long term, TAI hopes to develop a larger, armed version of the Anka with a turbofan engine, but this may depend on US approval for the engine. The existing device will carry only light weapons, such as a 70-mm laser-guided Cirit missile and a promising 23-kg Smart Micro-Munition missile (pictured below) manufactured by the Turkish company Roketsan. In July 2012, it was announced that TAI had begun design work on an armed version called Anka + A.
In late 2012, there were reports that Egypt, unable to buy Predator drones, had ordered ten Anka systems, but these messages appear to have been premature. In October 2013, the Turkish Defense Industry Undersecretariat announced that its country had issued a TAI contract for ten Anka systems, with deliveries from 2016 to 2018. However, the latest press release from TAI on the Anka drone says only that negotiations are underway on an initial industrial batch of ten systems for the Turkish Air Force. TAI has also developed two target drones: the Turna 70kg and the jet-powered Simsek.
The Turkish company Baykar Makina has developed two mini-drones: 4.5-kg Goezcu and Bayraktar Mini-UAS. According to some reports, the Turkish army bought 200 Bayraktar minidrones, while Qatar ordered ten units worth $ 25 million. Other products from the company include the Bayraktar Tactical UAS and the Malazgirt drone helicopter. The Turkish company Vestel Savunma Sanayi has developed a 500 kg Karayel, an 85 kg Bora and a 4.1 kg Efe drone.
