Farnborough 2016: Thales looks to broaden Fulmar mission set

[Zarvan]

Fulmar is designed to have a small operating footprint. Source: Thales
Thales is set to examine a range of new capabilities for its Fulmar X unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow 2016, Raul de Santos Garcia, Fulmar customer service manager, told IHS Jane's that the company is working to integrate communications relay, AIS, and Mode 3/C maritime transponder systems to the platform.

Also under consideration is the ability to equip the aircraft with an electronic countermeasures (ECM) payload.

Fulmar is a small UAV with a 3 m wingspan; it is capable of operating out to a range of 80 km and has an endurance in excess of 8 hours.

At present the air vehicle can only accommodate a single nose mounted payload, which as standard is an electro-optical/infrared unit from UAV Vision. Thales is supplying six Fulmar UAVs to Malaysia's Maritime Enforcement Agency, these will be equipped with an daylight-only package from DST Control.

According to Thales, a key selling point for Fulmar is its small operational footprint and simple, automatic take-off and landing process; it is rail launched and recovered in a net. Furthermore it can operate from small naval platforms.

In its naval application Fulmar works with a standalone ground control system and is not integrated with a vessel's wider network; it has been proven to not cause electro-magnetic interference.

De Santos Garcia explained that in the case of an emergency landing in water the aircraft's electronic systems, avionics, etc., are designed to be able to withstand damage for up to 30 minutes; however, the engine would likely be too damaged for further use.

The powerplant has been designed by Thales and is a multi-fuel unit, in the case of the systems being supplied to Malaysia the aircraft will operate with JP5 fuel.

Up to three aircraft can be controlled from a single ground station, de Santos Garcia explained; however, it is not recommended that multiple systems are operated simultaneously.

Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight content, please enquire about our subscription options　ihs.com/contact




To read the full article, Client Login
(338 of 406 words)

http://www.janes.com/article/62290/farnborough-2016-thales-looks-to-broaden-fulmar-mission-set