First flight for SAGEM's UAV

Citation

(2002), "First flight for SAGEM's UAV", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 74 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2002.12774cab.019

First flight for SAGEM's UAV

Keywords: SAGEM, Aircraft, Flight

SAGEM's long-endurance UAV – the SPERWER-LE – recently made its maiden flight in Mourmelon, France.

The new 6.2 m-wingspan UAV is 100 per cent compatible with the standard SPERWER system and its operational and logistics environment. It is believed to be the only long endurance tactical UAV operating in all- weather from totally unprepared ground (for both takeoff and recovery).

The flight reportedly demonstrated the expected performance – such as an endurance in excess of 12 hours and a climbing speed of 12 m/s – and assessed the capacity of the air vehicle to reach a ceiling of 20,000 feet.

According to SAGEM this flight opens the way to new SPERVYTR missions in roles such as pseudo-satellite relay missile alert detection, and fire-and-forget missile strikes.

SPERMTR is today the European reference for tactical UAVS. It has been delivered to the Dutch, Danish and Swedish armies, and will soon equip the French Army, thus providing a strong

European and NATO common ground in the domain of operational tactical UAVS.