Successful first flight of high-speed UAV demonstrator CARAPAS
* World first flight achieved on a high-speed tactical UAV
* Contract on schedule
* Result of efficient relationship with DGA and industrial team
Paris, 07 November 2005
EADS Military Aircraft has just staged the successful first flight of the high-speed UAV demonstrator CARAPAS (CApacité drone RAPide AntileurreS) at the Biscarrosse missile test centre (CELM) in France.
The aim of the flight was to check the system functions, the operating procedures and the technical installations at CELM. This marks the start of a flight test campaign scheduled to last until the end of 2005.
"This first flight is a real success when one considers the technical challenge that had to be overcome and the extremely tight schedule needed to implement such a demonstration programme," stated Patrick Oswald, Director of the Tactical Drone Programme at EADS Military Aircraft.
By carrying two payloads in the form of a movable electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) device working in conjunction with electronic spectrum measurement (ESM), the CARAPAS system represents a world innovation realized on a high-speed tactical UAV.
The demonstrator system of EADS comprises the CARAPAS UAV, the mission sensors, the datalinks and the associated ground link, which ensure mission planning, flight management, mission analysis and data fusion.
The achievement of this significant step - in line with the contract schedule - is the result of the efficient relationship that exists with the French armaments directorate DGA and the spirit of cooperation in the industrial team centred on EADS Military Aircraft and in particular Galileo Avionica of Italy, who are responsible for the Mirach 100-5 aerial system.
EADS Defence & Security Systems (DS)
EADS Military Aircraft is an integrated part of the EADS Defence & Security Systems Division (DS) and concentrates all the EADS capabilities in the areas of high-performance combat aircraft, unmanned mission air vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs), manned mission aircraft and training aircraft and the ground support equipment for these systems. DS, with revenues of about € 5.4 billion in 2004 and roughly 23,000 employees across ten nations, forms the defence and security pillar within EADS. It offers integrated systems solutions to the new challenges confronting armed forces and homeland security units. It is active in the areas of military aircraft, missile systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems with manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), battlefield management systems, defence electronics, sensors and avionics, and related services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of € 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000.
Galileo Avionica S.p.A.
Galileo Avionica is the Italian leader in mission electronics, avionics and electro-optical systems. Wholly owned by Finmeccanica, the company operates through five Business Units: Avionic Systems and Equipment, Space and Electro-optics, Radar Systems, Simulators and UAVs, and Logistics and Services. With the incorporation of Meteor CAE (now the Simulators and UAVs Business Unit), Galileo Avionica is a world leader in subsonic tactical drones and training drones and is one of the most important manufacturers of surveillance and reconnaissance UAVs.
The Eurofighter/Typhoon and Tornado simulator programmes are examples of the wide range of experience and competencies offered by Galileo Avionica in the area of flight training and simulation.
Your points of contact:
Cristina Miklus
Galileo Avionica
Simulators and UAVs B.U.
Tel.: +39 0481 478 353
mailto: cristina.miklus@galileoavionica.it
Wolfram Wolff
EADS Military Aircraft
Tel.: +49-89-607 25711
Fax: +49-89-607 22455
mailto: wolfram.wolff@eads.com
Brigitte Faure
EADS Defence & Security Systems SA
Tel.: + 33 (0) 1 34 60 71 70
Fax: + 33 (0) 1 34 60 81 52
mailto: brigitte.faure@eads.com
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