Drones For the French Army: The Competition Intensifies

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Polish WB Group company, in collaboration with the French Safran company, offers the FlyEye UAV to the French Army, within the framework of the Felin combat system programme.

The Polish system has already been tested in France.

The FlyEye UAV offered to France may be operated for up to 3 hours, at distances of up to 30 kilometres from the control station. The UAV has been fitted with a multi-sensor electro-optic system, with visible light spectrum and thermal vision cameras, complemented by a laser indicator. According to the design assumptions the system is dropped on a parachute just prior to landing. This facilitates austere landings.

FlyEye systems are being operated by the Polish Army and have also been procured by the Border Guard.

FlyEye is a mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed and built by WB Electronics to provide advanced aerial reconnaissance capabilities to military and special operations forces.

The UAV can be deployed to determine target coordinates for artillery operations. Identification, escorting, target acquisition and monitoring of natural disasters and forest fires are also other uses, as is surveillance of battlefield and national borders.

The Polish Army placed a contract with WB Electronics for the supply of 12 FlyEye unmanned aerial systems for air reconnaissance and destruction operations.

The FlyEye UAV features compact airframe made of composite materials. Its modular structure can be easily assembled or disassembled and it has fully autonomous takeoff and landing capability. The vehicle can be deployed within ten minutes and can execute missions in very confined areas.

The man-portable drone has a length of 1.9m, wingspan of 3.6m, and a maximum takeoff weight of 11 kg. It can carry a maximum payload of 4kg and is carried itself in two backpacks.