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Defence Forces - Are the Orbiter UAVs still in use?

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    #2
    Morpheus
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 2,688 Mod ✭✭✭✭Morpheus


    yes they are still in use.


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    #3
    Zambia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,333 ✭✭✭Zambia


    what would be the running cost of one of those as opposed to a 3 man chopper?


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    #4
    OS119
    Registered Users Posts: 2,518 ✭✭✭OS119


    Zambia wrote: »
    what would be the running cost of one of those as opposed to a 3 man chopper?

    infitesimal.

    the initial 'buy' price is about €35,000 compared to about €3m for an EC-135, it can be flown by anyone who could fly a remote control plane, it could be serviced by your Dad, and if any of it breaks you could fix it with plastic sheets, glue and Gaffer tape - and if it was really knackered you could rebuild it with stuff you could buy from your local model shop.

    to call me a fan of UAV's at Coy level would be a gross understatement...


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    #5
    Zambia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,333 ✭✭✭Zambia


    OS119 wrote: »
    infitesimal.


    to call me a fan of UAV's at Coy level would be a gross understatement...

    How long can one of these stay in the air ?

    I assume it can be equipped with heat detection and infrared Cameras?


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    #6
    OS119
    Registered Users Posts: 2,518 ✭✭✭OS119


    Zambia wrote: »
    How long can one of these stay in the air ?

    I assume it can be equipped with heat detection and infrared Cameras?

    this type can stay in the air about 3.5 to 4 hours - obviously a lot of that depends on the flight profile: how fast it flies, headwinds etc.. but there's nothing stopping a workshop bodging up an external fuel tank to give it a bit more range.

    the payload is, from recall, modular - its quite small (about 3-4lbs) but that currently includes video with an IR/II capability. if it had a more powerful engine the payload would increase - as, of course, would its fuel burn.

    its a model aeroplane - the structure of it is exactly the same as you'd find in any model shop - the difference between this at €35k and an amateur model at €2k is purely the data collection capability, the live down-loading of that data, and the ability to control it when its 15km away...


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    #7
    Morpheus
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 2,688 Mod ✭✭✭✭Morpheus


    http://www.aeronautics-sys.com/orbiter_mini_uav_muas

    have a look here, some videos included. its same model as we use.


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    #8
    Donny5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,827 ✭✭✭Donny5


    OS119 wrote: »
    but there's nothing stopping a workshop bodging up an external fuel tank to give it a bit more range.

    It's electric, so no external tanks.


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    #9
    Zambia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,333 ✭✭✭Zambia


    There is talk of them being purchased by Police here for use in tracking vehicles involved in police pursuits.

    The idea being they are up there ready to go when the call comes in.

    The fact being the drone can stay in the air longer and you could even change pilot mid flight.


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    #10
    Donny5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,827 ✭✭✭Donny5


    Zambia wrote: »
    There is talk of them being purchased by Police here for use in tracking vehicles involved in police pursuits.

    The idea being they are up there ready to go when the call comes in.

    The fact being the drone can stay in the air longer and you could even change pilot mid flight.

    Definitely not Orbiters, then. They couldn't keep up with a car, for one, and have puny loiter times. Good for over-the-hill type jobs.


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    #11
    OS119
    Registered Users Posts: 2,518 ✭✭✭OS119


    Donny5 wrote: »
    Definitely not Orbiters, then. They couldn't keep up with a car, for one, and have puny loiter times. Good for over-the-hill type jobs.

    not Orbiters, certainly, but UAV tech and 'commercialability' is improving at a monsterous rate - almost any UAV you can buy has been surpassed by the time it gets delivered - so its by no stretch of the imagination an insurmountable issue. that said, UAV's are being bought for, and therefore designed for, long endurance, not speed, so chasing motorbikes at 200kph is not going to be high on their list of things they can do.

    the kind of role thay do well are floating along taking lots of pictures, so in policing terms you might use it for crowd surveilence, or observing a particular ground asset or target - and in wider civil terms you might use it for polution control, maritime policing, fisheries protection, SAR topcover, the 'Search' bit of SAR...


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    #12
    Zambia
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,333 ✭✭✭Zambia


    While currently they cant perform that task there is a market there for it. Such a UAV could be of incredible value.

    They are being trialed to provide overlook in siege scenarios..


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