PARIS AIR SHOW: Between June 10 and 13, Sagem (Safran) carried out a new series of flight tests of its Patroller drone system in multi-sensor, multi-mission configuration, incorporating an airborne communications intelligence (COMINT) system.
Designed for military missions, the COMINT system was integrated by Sagem in an underwing pod. It provides interception and positioning functions, along with technical analysis of V/UHF communications, including for frequency-hopping transmitters.
This series of seven test flights validated the Patroller drone’s ability to easily integrate a COMINT type electronic warfare system in a pod, complementing the Euroflir 410 day/night optronic observation system, also made by Sagem. Operated from the ground, the COMINT system helps direct the Patroller’s optronic sensors in real time to provide visual target identification, along with quick, precise position-determination within large zones of interest.
These flight tests were conducted at Sagem’s drone R&D center in Eragny, near Paris. They follow a series of tests in a desert environment, in May 2013, during which the Patroller was successfully integrated in an air-land and air-naval exercise.
Developed by Sagem, the Patroller is a 1-ton class drone based on the EASA-certified Stemme S15 aircraft, designed to meet military or security requirements. It draws on Sagem’s extensive experience with its Sperwer tactical drone system, including nine years of feedback from operations in Afghanistan.
The Patroller drone system is designed to keep operating costs under control. It calls on French and European technologies, especially for the airframe and sensors. Because of its modular design, the Patroller drone can carry a payload in its bay or in pods, on flights of 20 to 30 hours, at an altitude up to 25,000 ft.
The Patroller in multi-sensor, multi-mission configuration, including a payload with optronic and COMINT systems, along with its ground segment, is being presented in the static exhibition area at the Paris Air Show (ST B59).
Sagem, a high-tech company of Safran, holds world or European leadership positions in optronics, avionics, electronics and safety-critical software for both civil and military markets. Sagem is the No. 1 company in Europe and No. 3 worldwide for inertial navigation systems (INS) used in air, land and naval applications.
