__NOTOC__ The Bateleur (named for the

bateleur eagle The bateleur (; ''Terathopius ecaudatus'') is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is often considered a relative of the snake eagles and, like them, it is classified within the subfamily Circaetinae.Kemp, A. C., G. M. Kirwan, an ...

) is an

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...

(UAV) prototype designed and built by

Denel Dynamics Denel Dynamics, formerly Kentron, is a division of Denel SOC Ltd, a South African armaments development and manufacturing company wholly owned by the South African Government. It underwent a name change from Kentron to Denel Aerospace Systems dur ...

(formerly Kentron). It has been designed as a MALE (medium-altitude - long endurance) UAV, with its primary role being

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

, with a secondary

signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...

capability. Development began in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

as a totally in-house and private-venture project, being developed with internal company funds. The first prototype was expected to fly in early 2006 but this has not yet happened. The aircraft was included in a

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

RFP for UAVs in early 2009, though the competition has not been concluded. The

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the Military, armed forces of South Africa. The commander of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the Military branch, armed services. They are in turn a ...

(SANDF) has expressed interest in the system, but requested in 2006 that the cost of the system be reduced before an acquisition could be considered. In 2008, the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

announced a project, named ''Itambo'', to acquire a MALE UAV in the 2008-2012 timeframe, with the Bateleur presumed to be a front-runner. The entire aircraft is constructed using a modular construction system, making future adaptations of the airframe for increased range or larger payloads simpler than would be possible with a rigid airframe. It also makes it possible for the aircraft, once disassembled, to fit inside a 6 m

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

shipping container A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes. In the context of ...

. It is able to carry a variety of payloads, with a maximum payload mass of 200 kg (440 lb). Initially, proposed payloads include the Denel Optronics Argos-410 electro-optical (E/O) and infrared (IR) system (with optional

laser rangefinder A laser rangefinder, also known as a laser telemeter, is a rangefinder that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the time of flight principle by sending a laser pulse in ...

), the Denel Optronics Goshawk-350 E/O and IR system (also with optional laser rangefinder), a

laser designator A laser designator is a laser light source which is used to designate a target. Laser designators provide targeting for laser-guided bombs, missiles, or precision artillery munitions, such as the Paveway series of bombs, AGM-114 Hellfire, or ...

, an Avitronics Emitter Locating System, electronic intelligence equipment, and/or a

synthetic aperture radar Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images or three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target region to provide fine ...

.Denel Dynamics
"Bateleur marketing brochure (PDF)
''Denel Dynamics''. Retrieved on 7 March 2010 Though at present it has a maximum "action radius" of only , a Ku-band satellite datalink was proposed which will allow the Bateleur to extend its range to around 3 500 km (2 175 miles), making it suitable for missions requiring longer ranges such as maritime patrol.Defence Talk editor
Denel MALE UAV on First Overseas Visit. ''Defence Talk'', 29 November 2005. Retrieved on 7 March 2010.
/ref> The Bateleur takes off and lands conventionally, on a runway, and has retractable undercarriage. It is also completely autonomous, allowing it to take off, conduct its mission, and land all without human control being required.

Roles and missions

Roles and Missions * Real-time day and night (E/O and IR) surveillance * Electronic and Communications Intelligence gathering (ELINT and COMINT) * Airborne communications relay * Military and paramilitary photo reconnaissance * Target location and laser designation * Maritime and coastal patrol * Border patrol * Search and rescue * Battlefield surveillance * Artillery fire support * Damage assessment

Specifications

References

External links

{{Denel Unmanned military aircraft of South Africa Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles

Bateleur The bateleur (; ''Terathopius ecaudatus'') is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is often considered a relative of the snake eagles and, like them, it is classified within the subfamily Circaetinae.Kemp, A. C., G. M. Kirwan, an ...

Proposed aircraft of South Africa Single-engined pusher aircraft Mid-wing aircraft Twin-boom aircraft Synthetic aperture radar

Roles and missions

Specifications

See also

References

External links