European Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS), or Eurodrone, is a twin-turboprop MALE UAV
European Eurodrone
Medium Altitude UAV
_(cropped).jpg) |
|
| Role | Unmanned combat aerial vehicle |
|---|---|
| National origin |
 European Union
|
| Manufacturer | Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Leonardo S.p.A. |
| First flight | expected mid-2027 |
| Introduction | expected 2028 |
| Primary users |
German Air Force
|
|
|
.
History European Medium Altitude Long Endurance
Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS),
or Eurodrone, is a twin-turboprop MALE UAV
First flight expected mid-2027
The European Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS), or Eurodrone, is a twin-turboprop MALE UAV under development by Airbus, Dassault Aviation and Leonardo for Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with a first flight expected by mid-2027.
Development
On 18 May 2015, France, Germany and Italy launched a European MALE RPAS study over two years, joined by Spain since, to define its operational capabilities, system requirements and preliminary design.In November 2015, the program management was assigned to the European defence procurement agency OCCAR, with European Defence Agency support for air traffic integration and certification. The definition study was to be contracted in the first half of 2016, the potential development and production then aiming for a 2025 first delivery
Missions targeted are long endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and ground support with precision-guided weapons. The twin-turboprops are mounted in a pusher configuration behind the wing, similar to the smaller BAE Systems Mantis, and one-third larger than the MQ-9
The drone's dual engines were a demand of Germany, which intended to use the UAV for surveillance over domestic urban areas and was concerned that an engine failure in a single-engine drone could lead to the drone crashing into a house. France, which intends to use the system over conflict zones such as the Sahel, has been critical of its cost and weight. At 11,000 kg (24,000 lb), it is over twice as heavy as an MQ-9 Reaper. A French politician overseeing the RPAS project, Christian Cambon, criticized it as suffering from "obesity."
-
Operators
At Paris Air Show 2007 Future operators
- French Air and Space Force - 12 drones (4 systems) on contract
- German Air Force - 21 drones (7 systems) on contract
- Italian Air Force - 15 drones (5 systems) on contract
- Spanish Air Force - 12 drones (4 systems) on contract
Photo Gallery
European Medium Altitude Long Endurance
Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS),
or Eurodrone, is a twin-turboprop MALE UAV
First flight expected mid-2027
European Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS)
General Info 1
-
-
- Capacity: 2,300 kg (5,070 lb) payload
- Length: 16 m (52 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 30 m (98 ft 5 in)
- Max takeoff weight: 11,000 kg
-
General Info 3
- Cruise speed: 500 km/h
- Endurance: 18-40h
- Service ceiling: 13,700 m (44,900 ft)
.
Links to Youtube & Others
Eurodrone is a joint European programme to answer future UAS requirements. It has been launched by Leonardo, Airbus D&S and Dassault Aviation as a joint industrial-government initiative. The programme is backed by the governments of France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Eurodrone UAV
Male RPAS
Managed by European OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation), Eurodrone will be operated worldwide to support ISTAR (Intelligence,
Youtube Link
Preparations for the next stage (development, production and initial in-service support) are already well under way.
Read more in eneral European Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS), or Eurodrone, is a twin-turboprop MALE UAV First flight expected mid-2027
.
