Pakistan readies production of UAVs

[IHK_PK]

More Test Flights of a beefed-up version of Selex Galileo'S Falco unmanned aerial vehicle – known as the Falco Evo – were carried out in the end of the last year, in Pakistan and at a range in Finland.

Attempting to gain maximum improvement in performance for a comparatively modest outlay, the company is using the Falco fuselage, but wedded to a larger wing and extended tail booms.

The basic model of Falco Uav is already in service with Pakistan some 25 UAVs – though the company and Pakistan herself declines to identify Islamabad as its launch customer.

Four prototypes of the Falco Evo upgrade are now being manufactured and are in testing phase. The design changes are intended to increase the Basic Falco’s maximum take-off weight (Mtow) by 330kg and now the Evo's Mtow is 420kg while the Mtow target required and set by Pakistan is 750kg for the Falco Evo UAV so that it can support the payload. Maximum payload capability is also increased from 70kg to 120kg in Falco Evo and the target is to achieve 200kg. Max endurance for the Falco Evo is projected to be 18-20 hours compared to 8-14 hours for the basic model of Falco uav.



Pakistan is also continuing work on expanding the payloads available for the Falco family, with radar and electronic warfare packages at varying stages of development. The Selex company’s PicoSAR synthetic aperture radar could be flown on the UAV later this year, while an electronic surveillance measures package will be tested on the UAV in this year.

 

[IHK_PK]

self deleted.

 

[IHK_PK]

Selex Galileo has been carrying out a further test set of catapult launches of its Falco tactical unmanned aerial vehicle. The trials, carried out using a range in Finland, examined launch performance and heavy take-off weight configurations.

The latest trials were carried out at the end of July, earlier catapult tests occurred in December of last year. The Finnish trials used a Robonic catapult launcher, and utilized the Finnish company’s test center in the north of the country.

The trials were in part intended to build up experience using the Falco from a catapult, develop launch procedures, and to look at the overall systems performance at high launch speeds with extended weight. The work is partly aimed at hot-and-high environments of Pakistan.

The trials also looked at a fast turn-around time for the UAV through the launch, recovery, preparation and re-launch cycle.

 

[Safriz]

^^^

PicoStar AESA can be seen in this picture...Clicked by me...

 

[SHAMK9]

very good news, PAF should put a few of them on afghan border and northern regions.

 

[Safriz]

As you can see the PICOSTAR has a targeting pod...(Read the blubber printed on the wall in the pic i posted..)
so bang goes Pakistan's claims that all UAVs are for surveillance purposes only