January 15, 2008:
An Israeli firm is
selling sixteen Aerostar UAVs to a "member of the Commonwealth of Independent
States" (a new nation that was once part of the Soviet Union). Russia is
developing new UAVs, but these designs are not as effective as most Western
models, especially those from Israel. So it's interesting that the buyer of
these Israeli UAVs does not want their identity publicized. That's being
diplomatic, but putting the Russian manufacturers on notice that they had best
hustle.
The Aerostar is a 460 pound aircraft,
that can carry 110 pounds of sensors and batteries. Endurance is about twelve
hours, maximum altitude is 18,000 feet. The Aerostar can operate up to 200
kilometers from its base station radio (or use an optional satellite comm. link
and operate over 600 kilometers away). With a wing span of 21 feet, the
Aerostar can move as slow as 108 kilometers an hour, and as fast as 200
kilometers an hour.
The Aerostars cost $1.5 million each.
But add in ground equipment, spares and training, costs per aircraft are about
30 percent more (close to $2 million per UAV.)