General Dynamics [GD] Armament and Technical Products and Israel’s Elbit Systems‘ [ESLT] wholly-owned subsidiary Elbit Systems of America LLC, recently conducted the first U.S. demonstration of the Skylarkr II Small Tactical /Tier II-class Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for the U.S. military at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
The Skylark II UAS provides a covert, silent electric-propulsion system for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and target tracking, making it unique among Tier II-class platforms, the companies said in a statement.
The air vehicle is virtually inaudible at 500 feet above ground level (AGL), enabling persistent ISR coverage for use in areas previously inaccessible to other air vehicles that have higher noise signatures or lower endurance capabilities. This battalion-level system fills the capabilities gap that exists between the small, company/platoon-level unmanned systems and the tactical, brigade-level UASs that are currently available.
“The Skylark II system’s operating characteristics fulfill unmet needs for a small unmanned aerial system with low-manpower, high-endurance covert capabilities suited to harsh environments where there is limited logistical infrastructure,” Phil Hynes, vice president of strategic planning for General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, said. “To warfighters in theater, that means that the enemy does not know they are being watched.”
The Skylark II system features the lightweight, state-of-the-art micro-CoMPASS(tm) electro-optic surveillance payload, which provides a laser target illuminator and a cooled thermal imager with exceptionally high resolution, the statement said. The fully-integrated, gimbaled payload provides the warfighter a blend of sensor capabilities in a form, fit and function that is effective in any lighting condition.
A fly-by-camera interface/flight mode, combined with the Micro-CoMPASS(tm) payload, makes the Skylark II system allows a single operator to both fly the aircraft and operate the sensor suite. The imagery end product helps paint the picture for combatant commanders and intelligence officers.
The Skylark II system design is based on the extensive operational experience gained from a family of Elbit UAS systems used by the Israeli Defense Forces during the recent Lebanese War, and currently employed by coalition forces supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This system, like many others in its modular family, offers the U.S. military a variety of unique, operationally-validated solutions for current and emerging requirements.
“The effectiveness and reliability of the Elbit’s UAS family has been proven by over 100,000 flight hours,” Raanan Horowitz, president and chief executive officer of Elbit Systems of America, said. “We are pleased to partner with General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products and provide the U.S. warfighter with this operational capability.”