The S4 Ehécatl 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 ...

developed and manufactured by

Hydra Technologies of Mexico Hydra Technologies is a Mexican firm dedicated to the design and development of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance operations and aircraft avionics. The company has one hundred employees and as of mid-2008 has two operational models, the ...

which, except for its infrared thermal sensor system, is the first of its type to be completely designed and manufactured in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It is named after

Ehecatl Ehecatl ( nci-IPA, Ehēcatl, eʔˈeːkatɬ, ) is a pre-Columbian deity associated with the wind, who features in Aztec mythology and the mythologies of other cultures from the central Mexico region of Mesoamerica. He is most usually interpreted as ...

, the Aztec god of the wind.

Overview

A prototype of the airplane was presented in the

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...

at Le Bourget on June 19, 2007. In August 2007 at Washington D.C., a full-scale model was exhibited at the

Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, also known as AUVSI, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the unmanned systems and robotics industry through communication, education and lea ...

symposium, an aeronautics exposition with over 275 exhibitors. At the conclusion of the AUSVI symposium Hydra Technologies became the first non-U.S. recipient of the AUSVI's 'Al Aube Outstanding Contributor Award' for the development of the S4 Ehécatl UAS (Unmanned Aerial System). In 2008, Hydra Technologies received the Leonardo da Vinci award, given by the International Aeronautics Congress of Mexico (CIAM for its Spanish abbreviation) for the development of the S4 Ehácatl, as well as the E1 Gavilán. On August 3, 2008, the State of Jalisco and Coecytjal presented Hydra with an award in the 29th Annual National Convention of the National Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics Industry (CANIETI), for its contribution to the informatics, microelectronics and communications industries in Mexico.

Description

The S4 Ehécatl is an aerial unmanned

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 ...

system whose development began in 2002. Its principal market is directed towards providing security and surveillance capabilities in support of the Armed Forces, as well as civilian protection in hazardous situations. Because of its small size and unmanned nature, it can enter dangerous zones without being detected. Apart from a U.S.-made FLIR infrared thermal sensor system, all of the S4 Ehécatl's componentry and

avionics Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...

are designed, developed and manufactured in Mexico by the firm Hydra Technologies. The S4 Ehécatl has an electronic system that is designed to provide up to eight hours of autonomous flight, in either daytime or nighttime conditions. The craft is controlled from a mobile central facility installed in a specially equipped three-man ground vehicle. The surveillance capabilities of the UAV was suggested as an option to survey of the border problems between the U.S. and Mexico. The project developing the craft is a joint effort of the Mexican Federal Government, the Financial Sector, and Mexican academic and scientific institutions like CONACYT, the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), the

Autonomous University of Guadalajara In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

and the

Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education ''ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara'' — distinct from the University of Guadalajara — also known as ''Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, ITESO,'' is a Jesuit university in the Western Mexican state of Jalis ...

(ITESO).

Specifications

Operators

* Used by various government agencies and police organizations.

Gallery

Image:s4ehecatl2.jpg, The S4 Ehécatl in flight Image:s4ehecatl3.jpg, The S4 Ehécatl landing Image:s4ehecatl4.jpg, The S4 Ehécatl in flight Image:s4ehecatl5.jpg, The S4 Ehécatl front

References

External links

Hydra Technologies de Mexico
company website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hydra Technologies Ehecatl 2000s Mexican military reconnaissance aircraft Unmanned aerial vehicles of Mexico

Twin-boom aircraft Twin-engined push-pull aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2006 High-wing aircraft