US to supply MQ-9 Reapers UAVs to Ukraine

General Atomics has confirmed to supply Ukraine with the MQ-9 series of medium-altitude (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of carrying Hellfire missiles inside a broader assistance package for Eastern Europe.   

The delivery has not yet taken place, and early reports of Reapers in Ukraine are premature. Neither the US government nor the business has given a timeline for the delivery of the drones to Kyiv. 

The US government has been considering a request for heavily armed drones from Ukraine since at least April. US plans to send the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone, developed by General Atomics, to Ukraine.

The Gray Eagle isn’t strictly a member of the MQ-9 family. Nevertheless, supplying these drones is mainly hampered by concerns about the technology’s confidentiality and survival in contested airspace.

eurasiantimes 

‘Eurodrone’ model unveiled at Berlin Air Show

Airbus, Dassault and Leonardo have revealed the first full-scale model of an envisioned European drone at the Berlin Air Show, upping the the visibility ― and scrutiny ― of a project meant to epitomize the continent’s growing military profile.
The medium-altitude, long-endurance aircraft rides on a twin-turboprop propulsion system and will come in a strike-capable configuration when it reaches the actual flying stage in the mid-2020s. Germany, France, Italy and Spain have a hand in the program, though only the first three are considered the principal main industry partners, with Germany’s Airbus in the lead.
Notably, companies are building the unmanned plane so it can operate immediately in the dense European airspace. Past practice of first acquiring a drone and later worrying about requisite certifications has proven to be problematic, especially for the Germans.
The mock-up is based on a vehicle configuration agreed by the partner nations in mid-2017.
defensenews

Spain to buy four MALE UAVs

The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on 7 August that it is looking to buy four large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and has issued requests for information (RfIs) to two potential suppliers.
The UAVs, which are to be capable of flying observation missions for more than 24 hours, are destined to be shared by the armed forces, rather than used exclusively by one service.
One option being considered by Spain is the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, with the US firm teaming with Spanish engineering company Sener for the requirement.
The second is the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP, on which the Israeli firm is partnering with Indra.
There are no plans to arm the aircraft, which are to be used purely for reconnaissance.
MoD sources said training needs mean the earliest the UAVs could be operational would be 2017.
The Reaper has an advantage in that is used by the United States as well as major European Union and NATO allies, including the UK, France, Italy, and the Netherlands - offering the possibilities of joint training and operations.
But the army already has experience with another IAI UAV: the Searcher Mk II.
The navy is currently using the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle on ships serving with the EU anti-piracy mission 'Operation Atalanta' off the coast of Somalia.
Whichever of the larger UAVs is finally chosen, it is likely to be only a stopgap measure.
The government has said it hopes to eventually join up with France, Germany, and Italy, which in May agreed to start investigating a joint medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV project they hope to have ready by the early 2020s.
janes

Canada Restarts Attempt to Buy Drones

Canada does not have a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV. It uses its CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft to fulfill the ISR mission against Islamic State extremists in Iraq.
Since 2006, Canada's military has been trying to purchase a fleet of UAVs, but it has faced an uphill battle due to lack of funding.
Air Force officers announced in 2006 that JUSTAS would see the purchase of MALE UAVs, but little has happened on that project.
The Air Force made a pitch to the Canadian government in 2007 for the sole-source purchase of Predator UAVs, built by General Atomics, but that was rejected.
Instead, in 2009 the Canadian military signed a lease arrangement which provided the Heron, made by Israel Aerospace Industries, for operations in Afghanistan. That lease ran from 2009 to 2011.
When the JUSTAS project was active, both MDA and General Atomics indicated they intended to bid.
Northrop Grumman also made an unsolicited offer in 2012 to provide Canada with a fleet of Global Hawks, specifically for Arctic operations, but the Canadian government did not act on that proposal. The Air Force determined that the cost of the Global Hawks was too expensive for the Arctic capability.
defensenews

Study To Be Signed on European MALE UAV

A plan by companies in France, Germany and Italy to launch a European medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV program will get a boost Monday when defense ministers sign a Declaration of Intent for a two-year definition study.
The agreement is for a definition study and for preliminary project for design.
The two-year study will also involve the European Defence Agency.
In March, French Defense Minister said a new European drone would be ready by 2025 and able to fly in European skies.
Monday's deal is in response to lobbying efforts for a European MALE program by the firms Dassault, Alenia Aermacchi and Airbus.
They jointly called for a MALE program on the eve of the Paris Air Show in 2013, claiming it would pool resources, allow for the incorporation of emerging European certification requirements, and safeguard jobs and know-how, while guaranteeing "European sovereignty and independence in the management of information and intelligence".
Since then, little progress has been made and the European MALE market is currently dominated by the US Reaper and Israeli-designed machines.
defensenews

HammerHead UAV prototype makes maiden flight

Piaggio Aerospace has announced that a prototype of its P.1HH HammerHead unmanned air vehicle has carried out its maiden flight.
The medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) prototype – dubbed Prototype 001 – was flown in December from Trapani Birgi air base in Italy, and will now continue its development and certification flight test campaign.
The Avanti II twin-pusher turboprop-derived Hammerhead was officially unveiled during Paris air show in 2013.
The 001 model that flew in December is characteristic of the final aerodynamic design, Piaggio says.
The “seamless” prototype test saw the HammerHead perform the shakedown flight over the Mediterranean Sea “at a significant range of speed and altitude”, with a primary objective to conduct a first check of the air vehicle and ground control station.
The Italian air force and ministry of defence are supporting the HammerHead development programme.
flightglobal

Turkey's Anka Block B UAV completes maiden flight

Turkey completed the maiden flight of its Anka Block B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on 30 January.
According to TAI the first flight included a wide degree of autonomy, with take-off, landing, and much of the flight itself being conducted by an autopilot.
The Anka B is the second generation of the indigenous medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV. It is also the production standard version, with 10 Anka Block B UAVs having been ordered in October 2013 for the Turkish military.
The Anka B features a more expansive payload to the pre-series/basic Anka Block A.
Turkey announced in July 2012 that it would develop an armed version of the Anka. While the Anka A was unarmed, it is unclear if the Block B aircraft will be able to carry ordnance - either currently or at a later date.
The first flight of the production-standard Anka B comes just over four years after the initial Anka prototype first flew in December 2010.
The Anka programme has suffered some issues, including the crash of the first aircraft in September 2012 and some problems with the Anka A's payload, but it now appears to be moving forward in line with a planned first delivery to the Turkish Air Force in 2016. All 10 Anka Bs are scheduled to be delivered by 2018.
Turkey has positioned itself as the only European country to have a MALE UAV in production.
janes

Proposed European MALE Takes Step Forward

Airbus, Dassault and Alenia Aermacchi announced they had agreed on further details for a joint approach to develop a next-generation advanced European unmanned aerial system (UAS). They said they had delivered a proposal for further defining a European UAS to the French, German and Italian ministries of defense.
Their offer for a program proposes a definition phase that has been prepared by joint development teams of Airbus, Dassault Aviation and Alenia Aermacchi. It is already backed by an industrial agreement on workshare and a cooperative agreement to start the program.
The MALE 2020 project is supposed to provide a needed capability to European armed forces’ in the most economical manner possible.
defensenews

Poland studies options for MALE UAV purchase

The Polish defence ministry's armaments inspectorate has launched a study process intended to support the nation's future acquisition of medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicles.

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Agreement Reached on Franco-German MALE

Late on Wednesday evening, , the French defense ministry announced that France and Germany had signed a declaration agreeing to strengthen their defense cooperation around development of a European MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) UAV (unmanned air vehicle). They made it clear that if other European countries wanted to join in, they could.

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Primer MALE UAV de Turquía, preparado para primer vuelo/ Turkey's first MALE unmanned system is set to fly

Turkish Aerospace Industries, (TAI), ha completado los trabajos de diseño, fabricación y ensamblaje del prototipo de su aeronave no tripulada (UAV) de vuelo a media altura y larga duración MALE. TAI ha desarrollado este tipo de tecnología desde 1992.
El techo de servicio del MALE en de 9.000 metros, con una autonomía de 24 horas sin repostar. Su longitud es de nueve metros y su envergadura de 17 metros. TAI espera entregar el primer MALE a las Fuerzas Armadas de Turquía en 2011, y espera ventas al extranjero. En 2005, Turquía firmó un contrato con Israel para la compra de 10 Heron UAV, seis de los cuales ya han sido entregados, esperándose el resto para finales de 2010, aunque los planes podrían verse alterados, debido a las últimas tensiones entre ambos países.
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Turkish Aerospace Industries, (TAI), has completed works on design, manufacturing and assembly of the drone. TAI has been dealing with unmanned aerial vehicle technologies since 1992 and has developed several drones in different classes.
The MALE has a service ceiling of just over 9,000 meters and a maximum flight time of 24 hours before refueling. It has a fuselage length of nine meters and a wing span of 17 meters. TAI plans to deliver the first MALE drone to Turkish Armed Forces in 2011 and hopes to sell it to other countries afterwards.
In 2005, Turkey awarded a contract to buy 10 Heron unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel. Six of the Herons have been delivered to Turkey, and the rest of the order is expected to arrive by the end of the year.
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