Unmanned Systems in the air for a longer time.

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Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is in a constant effort to keep its unmanned air systems (UAS) in the air for a longer time.

The current effort focuses on the company’s BirdEye 650D mini UAS.

The BirdEye 650 had a an initial endurance of only 2 hours.

The company tested a propulsion system using fuel cells but then decided to go for a fuel engine . A company source said that with this engine the endurance was stretched to 20 hours.

The BirdEye 650D has a max takeoff weight of 30 kg and can carry a 5.5 kgs payload. It has an operational radius of over 50 km . It is equipped with a special day/ night payload.

The complete BirdEye 656 D system is man-portable and can be deployed in the field by two people. The portable ground control system is lightweight and allows for the automatic operation of the UAS and its payloads, and the data link allows for digital ground communication.