17 Feb 14. KAI promotes Devil Killer UAV as maritime weapon. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is marketing a small unmanned air vehicle (UAV) which can also be used as a precision munition as a viable maritime capability deployable on board naval vessels. The ‘Devil Killer’ UAV could previously only be launched from ships with the aid of rocket boosters. However, the company has now introduced a canister containing a compressed air mechanism to provide the initial launch thrust required to enable the system to become airborne. This thrust capability enables the system to be deployed at sea. Once launched, switch blade wings unfold and two electric ducted fans take over the propulsion task for the rest of the flight. Speaking to IHS Jane’s at the Singapore Airshow on 14 February, KAI’s senior manager and chief of international marketing Jei Yai Moon said that the company is now marketing the UAV as a munition that feasibly can be deployed at sea as well as being an effective land-launched system. “The Devil Killer UAV is ready for production. Unfortunately we do not have a customer yet. We will continue to market it”, said Moon. Described by the company as a “tactical suicide combat UAV”, the Devil Killer is designed to loiter above potential targets. The UAV would be guided by an operator onto its designated target using a video data link and would then crash itself onto the target, detonating a 2kg payload located between its wings. The Devil Killer is 1.5m long and has a wingspan of 1.3m. It weighs 25 kg when armed and has demonstrated in-flight top speeds of 400km/h. It has a maximum range of 40km. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
21 Feb 14. Russia Budgets $9bn for UAS. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has announced a programme to spend about 320bn roubles (US $9bn) by 2020 on military UAS, according to local news agency ITAR-TASS. Under the plan, the new UASs will boost the reconnaissance, communications and combat capacities of the Russian armed forces, according to the minister. Shoigu did not disclose the number of UAS to be acquired. Presently, the Russian military operates a fleet of nearly 500, the minister said. The latest move follows last year’s announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that UAS are a vital area of development in modern aviation, and that Russia needs to develop a wide range of UAS, including combat and reconnaissance variants. The Russian military is set to test the Yabhon United 40 medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS built by the United Arab Emirates’ Adcom Systems. (Source: UAS VISION/Defense News)
19 Feb 14. Brazilian Navy confirms Heron trialled for Blue Amazon. The Brazilian Navy announced in mid-February that it undertook trials of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during November 2013 to study its potential suitability for the navy’s Blue Amazon Management and Surveillance System (SisGAAz). With support from IAI, the trials were performed by an IAI Heron owned by the
Brazilian Federal Police from the São Pedro da Aldeia Naval Airbase on 4-14 November. SisGAAz will employ medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs to conduct maritime surveillance, search and rescue, maritime traffic control, and reconnaissance missions. The exact number of UAVs to be procured has yet to be defined, but IHS Jane’s understands it will be substantial as the SisGAAz programme, worth an estimated USD5.8bn, is intended to provide surveillance and maritime traffic management over 14.4m km 2 of Brazil’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and area of responsibility. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
18 Feb 14. Airbus to begin flight trials of Tanan Block 2 UAS. Airbus Defence and Space (formerly Cassidian) is performing ground tests on the
Tanan Block 2 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft system (UAS), with first flight expected to take place in next couple of months, a company spokesperson told IHS Jane’s in mid-February. News of the impending first flight came as a