Picador is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed and manufactured by Aeronautics Defence Systems (ADS) for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to perform intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance missions. Based on the two-seat Dynali H2S kit helicopter, it is being built at ADS's Yavne facility in Central Israel.
The maiden flight of the Picador,
which lasted for 20 minutes, was undertaken in November 2010. After the
vehicle's initial flight, Aeronautics president Avi Leumi confirmed that the
Picador was mainly aimed at navies and should be considered a replacement for
manned helicopters used in intelligence gathering operations.
Flying at a maximum altitude of
12,000ft (3,657m), the UAV can provide its operators with real-time imagery or
data of the battlefield by executing surveillance and target acquisition over a
broad area, and transfer it to the ground control station (GCS) via satellite
communication data link.
The UAV was showcased at the Paris
Air Show in June 2009. ADS completed the test flight of the UAV's half-scale
model in 2009, while the full-scale model is yet to be approved by the Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA).
Picador is designed to suit both
civil and military operations. It can operate day or night, and even in adverse
weather conditions. It can be easily carried by ground vehicles, helicopters
and maritime vessels.
The UAV has a two-bladed main rotor
and an eight-bladed tail rotor for vertical take-off and landing capabilities.
The diameter of the main rotor is 7.22m.
Picador features a robust airframe,
UHF radios, a global positioning system (GPS) and a skid landing gear. It is
also fitted with an advance UMAS digital flight control system with a mean time
between failures (MTBF) of 30,000 hours for the controlling engine.
Communication, navigation and flight
controls payloads are also installed in the aircraft. An operator-controlled
demonstrator is being used to develop the flight control system for the
vehicle.
The UAV also houses directional
antennae and a state-of-the-art multichannel data link system built by
Commtact, a subsidiary of ADS. An electro-optic camera is fitted to the front
section of the fuselage to capture high-quality battlefield imagery.
Picador can be controlled either
manually from the GCS or through autonomous mode. It is fitted with an
autonomous mission programming system, which aids in safe landing during communication
failure with the GCS.
The UAV is equipped with
electro-optic (EO) and infrared (IR) sensors. The EO sensors convert light rays
into electronic signals for capturing battlefield imagery.
Picador is equipped with synthetic
aperture radar (SAR), signal intelligence (SIGINT), electronic intelligence
(ELINT), communication intelligence (COMINT) and laser designator.
The UAV is powered by a single
2,500cc Subaru EJ 25 engine, which can produce 123kW of output power. Introduced
in 1996, the EJ 25 can be operated using 91 Octane gasoline fuel. It consumes
little power and produces a low torque rating.
The bore and stroke of the engine are
0.079m and 0.099m respectively.
The ground control station (GCS) is
also designed and manufactured by Aeronautics Defence Systems. The UAV can be
monitored and controlled using a specially built hardware and software system.
Communication between the UAV and the GCS is enabled through a line of sight
data link with a range of up to 200km.
The GCS is also equipped with two
remote video terminals (RVT) which display the real-time video or images
captured by the aircraft. Each terminal weighs around 5kg and can receive the
data with in a range of 30km. A UHF radio is deployed in the GCS for air
traffic control communications.
Picador can fly at a maximum speed of
203km/h. The range and service ceiling are 200km and 3,657m respectively. The
aircraft can loiter in air for a maximum of five to eight hours a day.