Ukrainian state-run company SpetsTechnoExport has presented a new tactical drone system, the Sparrow LE, which was designed and produced by the Spai Tech private venture in Odesa.
The innovation was on display on day one of the AeroIndia-2017 annual aerospace exhibition in Bangalore, India – one of the biggest arms trade exhibitions in Asia.
The Sparrow LE drone was been designed to conduct local aerial reconnaissance. According to SpetsTechnoExport, the drone’s wingspan is just over 3 meters, which increases its airborne performance without making it more detectable, either visually or by radar, compared to similar systems.
The Sparrow LE can remain airborne for three-and-a-half hours and transmit data in real time to its operator at distances of up to 25 kilometers. The drone has a strengthened fuselage to improve its resistance to air temperature and humidity fluctuations, as well as to mechanical damage and other harmful factors.
With the aid of its optoelectronic system on the underside of its wing, it can transmit a visual image of the overflown territory and plot the coordinates of any object interesting to its operator. Moreover, the drone complex automatically detects and flags any hostile vehicles within its visual range.
Flight, takeoff and landing can be performed in both automatic and manual modes, which, together with other features, makes the drone convenient for use in poor weather conditions and in mountainous zones.
What makes the Sparrow special is its fast time of deployment – as little as 15 minutes, and its simplicity in use, Spai Tech company representatives told the Kyiv Post. The designers said the drone system is useful to tactical combat units or surveillance scout groups.
The Sparrow drone complex was successfully tested by Ukrainian defense ministry experts in October 2016, and could soon be in service with the Ukrainian armed forces.
“On the very first day of the exhibition, the product generated huge interest among AeroIndia-2017 participants, as its technical specifications actually exceed our Indian partners’ demands,” reads a statement published by Ukroboronprom, the state defense holding company of which SpetsTechnoExport is a part.
Apart from the Sparrow LE system, SpetsTechnoExport brought over 20 other Ukrainian arms products to the exhibition in India, including its newest An-132 and An-178 planes, the P27 and P73 missiles, the ADROS and ACO electronic countermeasures systems, and Kombat anti-tank guided missiles.
