Another great idea from Saab for the swedish military and NATO members combating terrorists. The Saab Skeldar will provide excellent real time intelligence on the battlefield. Skeldar is a medium range VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) developed by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. Missions for the Skeldar involves surveillance, intelligence gathering, light cargo transportation and electronic warfare. Development[edit] The Skeldar is a derivate from CybAero’s APID 55 UAV system, development started in 2005.[1] In June 2006 the Skeldar V-150 was unveiled at the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, France.[2] The Skeldar V-200 is the designation for the developed version of the system.[3] Design[edit] The Skeldar V-200 can take-off and land on an area of 15x15 meters. Take-off and landings can be made autonomously. Skeldar V-200 is modular in the sense that payloads can be changed depending on the mission characteristics, for example it can be equipped with laser pointers, range finders, EO/IR 3D Mapping, a light cargo hook and SIGINT (Signals Intelligence)[4] The Skeldar V-200 can be operated in both in land and naval operations, by 2–4 people. A UAS Control Station can be integrated into a ground-vehicle such as an APC or truck.[5] For naval operations the control station can be integrated into a ships normal operator consoles and combat management systems.[6] In 2009 Saab partnered with Swiss UAV to jointly develop and market three VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) designs: the Skeldar V-200 and Swiss UAV's Neo S-300 and Koax X 240. The three systems can be controlled from a Saab common ground control station.[7] Operators[edit] Spain Spanish Navy on trials Specifications[edit] Source: Saab Skeldar V-200 Technical specifications[8] Length: 4 m Width: 1.2 m Height: 1.3 m Max takeoff weight: 200 kg Max takeoff altitude: 2400 m Payload: 40 kg Maximum speed: 130 km/h Range: 150 km Endurance: 5 hours Power rating: 55 hp Service ceiling: 4500 m Takeoff preparation time: less than 15 min An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone and also referred to as an unpiloted aerial vehicle and a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. ICAO classify unmanned aircraft into two types under Circular 328 AN/190.[1] Autonomous aircraft Autonomous aircraft are considered to be not suitable for regulation due to legal and liability issues Remotely piloted aircraft Remotely piloted aircraft are subject to civil regulation under ICAO and under the relevant National aviation authority There are many different names for these aircraft. They are called UAS (unpiloted air system), UAV (unpiloted aerial vehicle), RPAS (remote piloted aircraft systems) and model aircraft. It has also become popular to refer to them as drones. Their flight is controlled either autonomously by onboard computers or by the remote control of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle. The typical launch and recovery method of an unmanned aircraft is by the function of an automatic system or an external operator on the ground.[2] Historically, UAVs were simple remotely piloted aircraft, but autonomous control is increasingly being employed.[3][not in citation given] They are usually deployed for military and special operation applications, but also used in a small but growing number of civil applications, such as policing and firefighting, and nonmilitary security work, such as inspection of power or pipelines. UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too "dull, dirty or dangerous"[4] for manned aircraft. History The idea of a pilotless aircraft is not a new concept. The concept of drones dates back to the mid-1800s, when Austrians sent off unmanned, bomb-filled balloons as a way to attack Venice. The drone seen today started innovation in the early 1900s, and was originally used for target practice to train military personnel. It continued to be developed during World War I, when the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company came up with the a pilotless aerial torpedo that would drop and explode at a particular, preset time.[5] The earliest attempt at a powered unmanned aerial vehicle was A. M. Low's "Aerial Target" of 1916.[6] Nikola Tesla described a fleet of unmanned aerial combat vehicles in 1915.[7] A number of remote-controlled airplane advances followed during and after World War I, including the Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane. The first scale RPV (Remote Piloted Vehicle) was developed by the film star and model airplane enthusiast Reginald Denny in 1935.[6] More were made in the technology rush during World War II; these were used both to train antiaircraft gunners and to fly attack missions. Nazi Germany also produced and used various UAV aircraft during the course of WWII. Jet engines were applied after World War II in such types as the Teledyne Ryan Firebee I of 1951,

• published: 21 Jun 2015
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