The French Army is withdrawing its interim tactical UAV fleet from Afghanistan following a dozen losses since its deployment in 2008.
Manufactured by French company Sagem, eight aircraft were lost in flight during mission and four were damaged during landing.
Aircraft from the Sperwer fleet have flown 770 missions and clocked in 2,100 flight hours.
Including the six second hand aircraft bought from Canada, the Army has 30 Sperwer units in its inventory. The Army will continue using the Drac, a mini-UAV from EADS Cassidian in the Sperwer’s absence. France recently placed an order for 5 units at Eurosatory 2012 which will be delivered in 2013.
Remotely piloted, the Sperwer can fly for five hours at altitudes of over 16,000 feet and can transmit images up to 150 kilometers from its operators.
Manufactured by French company Sagem, eight aircraft were lost in flight during mission and four were damaged during landing.
Aircraft from the Sperwer fleet have flown 770 missions and clocked in 2,100 flight hours.
Including the six second hand aircraft bought from Canada, the Army has 30 Sperwer units in its inventory. The Army will continue using the Drac, a mini-UAV from EADS Cassidian in the Sperwer’s absence. France recently placed an order for 5 units at Eurosatory 2012 which will be delivered in 2013.
Remotely piloted, the Sperwer can fly for five hours at altitudes of over 16,000 feet and can transmit images up to 150 kilometers from its operators.
Source :http://www.defenseworld.net
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