Back to news

April 29, 2020 | International, Aerospace

Saudi Arabia announces UAV procurement

Charles Forrester, London - Jane's Defence Weekly

Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) announced on 27 April that the country was procuring six unmanned systems from local firm Intra Defence Technologies for delivery in 2021, and a further 40 systems within five years.

The type of UAV was not disclosed in the Tweet from the organisation's official account, but Intra advertises the Karayel tactical UAV, developed by Turkey's Vestel, and the Asef VTOL UAV, which was launched at the Dubai Airshow in 2019. Jane's notes that a Karayel was lost over Yemen's Al-Hudaydah in late December after being shot down by a surface-to-air missile near the port of Al-Salif.

The Karayel has an endurance of 20 hours at 18,000 ft (5,486 m) and a cruise speed of 60-80 kt. Maximum payloads for the platform are 70 kg under the fuselage and 60 kg per wing across a total of four hardpoints. The platform's datalink range is 200 km from the GCS. The platform shown at the Dubai Airshow was armed with Roketsan MAM-L and MAM-C munitions.

The platform was also shown with a Hensoldt Argos II EO/IR pod to provide day-and-night surveillance capabilities. Intra signed an agreement with Hensoldt South Africa's Optronics division to develop an electro-optical payload for UAVs in Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2019 Dubai Airshow as part of efforts to improve self-sufficiency in the unmanned aerial vehicle domain.

Intra representatives told Jane's at the Dubai Airshow last year that the company was primarily orienting its marketing efforts for the Karayel towards the Saudi military, and potentially exporting the platform to Brazil and Kuwait.

GAMI, which was announced in 2017 and formally convened in 2019, has roles ranging from the management of procurement for the Saudi military to the supervision of defence-industrial research and development (R&D) and the transfer of technology to Saudi industry.

https://www.janes.com/article/95813/saudi-arabia-announces-uav-procurement

On the same subject

  • US Army seeks vendor to disassemble remaining AH-64D attack helos

    August 19, 2020 | International, Aerospace

    US Army seeks vendor to disassemble remaining AH-64D attack helos

    by Gareth Jennings The US Army has issued a request for information (RFI) for the ‘depopulation' of its remaining Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters. Announced by the US Army Program Executive Office – Aviation on 17 August, the Apache AH-64D Attack Helicopter Depopulation RFI seeks to identify potential sources that possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet the requirements necessary to depopulate (disassemble) hundreds of the service's remaining helicopters. “This RFI is to obtain qualified vendors to provide plans, procedures, production information, and reports addressing the depopulation of three to seven AH-64D aircraft per month. Additional work scope includes minor repairs in order to maximise reuse of components for production of the AH-64E [Apache Guardian]. The period of performance for this work is from January 2022 through December 2027 with the first delivery required in June 2023 and the last delivery required in March 2027,” the US Army stated on the beta.sam.gov government procurement website. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-army-seeks-vendor-to-disassemble-remaining-ah-64d-attack-helos

  • Pentagon to pit AI against human pilots in live fighter trials

    September 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

    Pentagon to pit AI against human pilots in live fighter trials

    Aaron Mehta and Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced Wednesday that the Pentagon intends to conduct live trials pitting tactical aircraft controlled by artificial intelligence against human pilots in 2024. The announcement comes three weeks after an AI algorithm defeated a human pilot in a simulated dogfight between F-16s, something Esper described as an example of the “tectonic impact of machine learning” for the Defense Department's future. “The AI agent's resounding victory demonstrated the ability of advanced algorithms to outperform humans in virtual dogfights. These simulations will culminate in a real-world competition involving full-scale tactical aircraft in 2024,” Esper said in prepared remarks delivered to the department's Artificial Intelligence Symposium. The Aug. 20 test was the finale of the Pentagon research agency's AI air combat competition. The algorithm, developed by Heron Systems, easily defeated the fighter pilot in all five rounds that capped off a yearlong competition hosted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Heron's AI system gained notoriety throughout the competition for its aggressiveness and the accuracy of its shot. But the system wasn't perfect. Heron often made an error in basic fighter maneuvers by turning away from enemy aircraft to where the AI thought the other aircraft would go. It was then unable to recover throughout the fights. “There are a lot caveats and disclaimers to add in here,” Col. Dan Javorsek, program manager in DARPA's Strategic Technology Office, said after the test, including that the AI had significant information that might not be available in an actual combat scenario. Military officials have long eyed the potential for AI to control aircraft, whether as part of a “loyal wingman” setup where a number of systems are controlled by one pilot, or through taking existing systems and making them optionally manned. https://www.c4isrnet.com/artificial-intelligence/2020/09/09/dod-to-pit-ai-vs-human-pilots-in-live-fighter-trials-by-2024/

  • Airbus explores A320neo military derivatives

    February 16, 2018 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

    Airbus explores A320neo military derivatives

    Airbus has revealed that it is exploring the introduction of military derivatives of the A320neo family. Speaking at the Singapore air show, Fernando Alonso, head of military aircraft at Airbus Defence & Space, said that the new platform could undertake missions such as VIP transport, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and maritime patrol. "We have the knowledge of converting the A330 into the A330 MRTT [multirole tanker transport], and have a more efficient process." Alonso says that the efficiency of new-generation engines will enable a more capable military derivative. Any future conversion will require between "six to eight months" to complete, he says. Airbus is in talks with a number of operators, including the armed forces of Asia-Pacific nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, alongside European stalwarts France, Germany and the Netherlands. The airframer is also working to add new capabilities to its existing military platforms: the A400M, A330 MRTT and C295. It will allow A400M operators to drop up to 60 paratroopers from both sides of the aircraft simultaneously, while the A330 MRTT is expected to be ready to conduct automatic air-to-air refuelling "in less than three years". Airbus is also exploring the possibility of allowing the remodelled widebody to take on ISR missions. Airbus is still proceeding with an "armed version" of the C295 medium transport, with the derivative in the engineering, development and testing phase. Flight tests will begin in late 2018. "There are big opportunities for us in Asia-Pacific: big fleets are here, budgets are here. We are able to fulfill needs in a more agile way," says Alonso. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/singapore-airbus-explores-a320neo-military-derivati-445670/

All news