The Patroller is a French
medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle developed and manufactured by
Safran Electronics & Defense (formerly by
SAGEM). The airframe is based on the
Stemme ASP S15
The Stemme ASP S15 is a German two-seat powered sailplane designed and built by Stemme for use as an Airborne Systems Platform.
Design and development
The ASP S15 is a two-seat single-engined, all composite construction, powered sailplane with ...
motor glider.
The first flight was in June 2009 at
Kemijarvi in Finland; it was shown at the
2009 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 ...
.
The Patroller is a
Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE) by the definition of the
NATO.
It completed another series of flight tests in July 2010, which demonstrated it is capable of missions lasting 20–30 hours; it can carry a 250 kg payload (including 80 kg under each wing).
The Patroller will carry out imaging and surveillance trials in southern France, detecting forest fires.
The Patroller uses the same ground control station as
Sperwer II
The SAGEM Sperwer (Pronounced ''Spehr-wuhr'', Dutch for Sparrowhawk) is an unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by the French firm SAGEM. The aircraft is piloted remotely and can cruise at altitudes of over 16,000 feet for as long as five hour ...
. A
Ku-band datalink is used; range is limited to 200 km (line of sight).
[
Safran Electronics & Defense and Egyptian aircraft factory AOI have signed a collaboration agreement concerning the Patroller UAV. AOI-Aircraft Factory could handle final assembly of the drones and will develop a dedicated training center in Egypt to train staff for the operation and maintenance of the drone systems.
]
Operators
;
: French Army. 14 on order.France Seals Deal for Safran Patroller Drone
/ref>
References
See also
{{SAGEM
Unmanned military aircraft of France
Mid-engined aircraft
Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles