Our UAV in Iraq skies

Air time: Skylark has deployed to Iraq with 131 STA Bty.

By Cpl Cameron Jamieson

FOUR mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems have been deployed to Iraq with AMTG2 for reconnaissance and surveillance missions within the AO.

The Elbit Systems’ Skylark Miniature UAV is a man-packed, hand-launched aircraft with a fully autonomous flight capability.

It has a mission endurance of two hours, and can carry payloads that include a colour television camera and a thermal sensor. The Skylark is designed for tactical close-range surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as force protection and perimeter security duties, and can transmit imagery in real-time using a tactical data link.

20 STA Regt Capability Implementation Team Leader Lt-Col Phil Swinsburg said the Skylark was being evaluated as a unit-level UAV asset that could complement larger UAVs, which could be embedded at formation-level as part of Joint Project 129.

“The Skylark provides a roving eye with a different perspective of the tactical area,” he said. “It can greatly enhance situational awareness for commanders and soldiers alike.”

The introduction of the Skylark draws on the UAV lessons learnt both from the use of the Aerosonde UAV in the Solomon Islands and from the practical experience of 131 STA Bty, which has been trialling mini-UAVs for over two years.