Army’s UAV selected

I-View 250 specs Weight: 250kg Payload Capacity: 45kg Wing span: 6.7m Speed: 85kts Range: 150km

By Lt Simone Heyer

PILOTS might not be pleased, but the Army will be getting new unmanned aircraft.

Project Manager JP129 Wg-Cmdr Mick Brown said Boeing Australia had been selected as the preferred tenderer to provide the Israel Aircraft Industries’ I-View for the Army Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) project.

Members of the soon-to-be raised 20 STA Regt are already being trained in the UK, with the first troop of UAVs scheduled to be operational in 2008.

Wg-Cmdr Brown said the JP129 Tactical UAV had a day and night surveillance capability.

“It will help the Army search for items of interest, identify them, monitor their movements and target them for other weapon systems,” he said.

“The system can do this at less cost and risk to personnel than manned surveillance systems.”

The tender evaluation was conducted by the Project Office with a large number of specialist personnel from within Army, Air Force, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and regulatory authorities.

“We were looking for a largely proven system that would reduce risks to cost and schedule. We found this in the Boeing proposal, which channelled IAI’s vast experience as a UAV manufacturer into the I-View,” Wg-Cmdr Brown said. “The air vehicle is new, but this is only one part of the overall system. The operating system we’ve chosen is proven in more than 16 different nations.”

He said the main sensor package had an enhanced detection range that could identify a vehicle-sized target at 17km.
“It is also fitted with a laser target designator and range finder, providing greater mission flexibility and the ability to cue other systems such as the Tiger ARH,” he said.

Two other sensors with different attributes are provided, which can be swapped to suit different missions.

The I-View’s tactical mobility was another strong point in its favour. While the I-View has wheels, it isn’t runway-dependent, as it can be launched by catapult and it can land by a precision-controlled parafoil.

The aircraft can be deployed by road in the back of existing Army vehicles or by C-130s.

Wg-Cmdr Brown was optimistic that the I-View would greatly improve the Army’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability, but he stressed that it would remain only one important element in the Army’s coordinated network of assets.

“Imagine looking down from the sky with a straw, that’s what the Tactical UAVs see. Army will still need to cue and control the Tactical UAV to look at specific areas of interest,” he said.

After delivery of the new capability, the project will be fully supported by Boeing Australia, which will provide training and in-service support.

Wg-Cmdr Brown said that JP129 would not only deliver a new, specialist capability for the Army, but it would also create new and exciting jobs for soldiers.