Tactical UAVs

Tactical

The military tactical UAV segment is anticipated to dominate sales to new user countries and upgrades for experienced users. Various sub categories of system define the overall tactical market, which boasts a mixture of fixed and rotary wing systems employing a variety of launching mechanisms in various weight categories. 

Fixed wing – Examples include the US Army Shadow 200 to satisfy its requirement for the RQ-7 Tactical UAV program. Israel has been operating its successful Searcher tactical UAV family for some years and systems such as the German Luna have been used for reconnaissance missions over Kosovo and, right now, in Iraq. Tactical fixed wing platforms need a runway for take-off and landing and are usually employed for reconnaissance, surveillance, BDA and artillery adjustment applications for over-the-hill reconnaissance.

VTOL – Vertical take-off and landing systems, which are popular systems in view of their utility on confined platforms (e.g. ship decks) and for operations where an airfield is not needed. Fixed-wing UAVs in the battlefield are limited by the need for a runway and lack the manoeuvrability of a rotary wing solution. VTUAV applicability for naval operations is best summarized by offsetting the cost of a naval UAV against the cost of the cheapest naval helicopter, factoring in the cost of flight crew, maintenance personnel and ship fit-out.