|
|
Background
– CF JUSTAS MALE UAV – IAI Malat CU-160 Eagle |
|
DND leased an EADS /IAI Eagle-1 for its Tofino-based
PLIX [1] trials in July 2003. The UAV, designated CU-160 Eagle, was operated by Israelis on a charter
arrange- ment and was an IAI Heron conversion prototype, but fitted with a belly
radome.
|
|
|
Unmanned EuroMALE – EADS’ Staggering UAV
The Eagle-1, a demonstrator for EADS’ EuroMALE, had first flown just a month earlier. [2] For the PLIX trial, the UAV was
equipped with the Israeli Elta M-2022 maritime search radar in a prominent radome (right). This Eagle-1
prototype was later fitted with European sensors (left) –
a Thales / Indra synthetic aperture radar, SAGEM /
Tecnobit electro-optical sensor, etc.
|
|
|
So, Eagle-1 is really a ‘Europeanized’ IAI Malat Heron which is in service with the IDF (as
the Machatz), India and Turkey. IAI developed the Heron as a big brother to its
Searcher [3] to perform strategic reconnaissance or maritime surveillance. The latter role was of most
interest to DND initially but, most recently, an alternative battlefield role was tacked on to what had been
an exclusively sovereignty patrol concept. However, the key MALE UAV role remains maritime surveillance.
If Eagle-1s were chosen for JUSTAS, its equipment would reflect that. [4]
|
|
|
Although lower-key than the ALIX trials, the Eagle-1 and PLIX were considered a success. The aircraft
had proved that it could operate from a sparsely-equipped, mid-sized airfield like YAZ (right). The maritime images
collected were good enough to trail an alleged polluter leaving Canadian waters. Since then the National SAR
Secretariat has speculated about using MALE UAVs for
search and rescue as well as maritime surveillance.
|
|
|
[1] One problem for the EuroMALE program was the level of then-available hardware. The Europeans had been slow
to appreciate MALE UAVs and wanted to leap-frog on established Israeli technology. Unfortunately, the IAI Malat
Heron was too small for European needs. However, when the EuroMALE project began, the
enlarged turboprop Heron TP/Eitan derivative was still very much a conceptual UAV.
[2] The Heron-based Eagle-1 prototype first flew from Ein Shemer airfield (near Tel Aviv Israel) on 2
June 2003. Powerplant is a Rotax 914 115 hp piston engine (as used on I-GNAT and early model
Predators). The Sperwer TUAV are powered by smaller Rotax aircraft engines.
[3] The Heron could also be seen as a higher-performance evolution of the twin-engined, push-pull IAI Malat
Hunter (adopted by the US as Northrop Grumman’s RQ-5 ). As a rival to Predator,
Northrop Grumman based its Hunter II on the Heron with RQ-5B Hunter sensors.
[4] That is not to say that a CF Eagle-1 would necessarily be equipped with the Elta EL/M-2022U radar (any
maritime SAR could be fitted). Instead, CF MALEs would emphasize maritime patrol rather than sprout the forest of ELINT antennae seen
on some IDF or SIDM models.
|
|