UAV / UCAV - Drohnen

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UCAV Development: More Programmes than Ever


(Source: Frost & Sullivan; issued Oct. 19, 2004)


As is the case with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) progress gap between the U.S. and Europe is widening, with time running out for a cost-effective European solution.

In June 2004, the BAE Systems Chief Executive, Mike Turner, called upon European industry to co-operate more, after expressing concern that Europe has fallen behind the United States in UCAV development.

This week, the U.S. UCAV leader, the Boeing Company, received an award allowing it to continue the development of the X-45C segment of its J-UCAS program for the next five years, with the first flight of the X-45 scheduled for early 2007. Lockheed Martin’s team with key partner Bell Helicopters, are continuing the Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program, designed to conduct reconnaissance and combat missions.

As well as UCAV programs, U.S. modifications to existing long-endurance UAVs, such as arming the General Atomics "Predator" and the Israel Aircraft Industries/Northrop Grumman "Hunter" UAVs with air-to-ground missiles, are becoming more frequent.

According to the U.S. Department of Defence (DoD), over $4 billion has been allocated over the next five years to UCAV and UCAR development. With the cancellation of the Comanche helicopter project and the probable scaling back of Joint Strike Fighter numbers, it is likely that UCAV investment will increase.

European UCAV programs are being seen in the form of the EUR 300 million Neuron, the French-led European UCAV consortium, with major contributions likely to come from Sweden’s Saab Aerospace, Greece’s Hellenic Aerospace Industry and other industry from Germany and Italy.
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