IAI Searcher
| Searcher | |
|---|---|
| |
| IAI Searcher in Tel Nof Airbase, Israel | |
| Role | Reconnaissance UAV |
| National origin | Israel |
| Manufacturer | IAI |
The IAI Searcher (also known by the Hebrew name מרומית Meyromit - "Marsh tern" [1], or officially in Israel as the חוגלה Hugla - "Alectoris") is a reconnaissance UAV developed in Israel in the 1980s. In the following decade, it replaced the IMI Mastiff and IAI Scout UAVs then in service with the Israeli Army.
The Searcher looks almost identical to the Scout and Pioneer, but is scaled up, and in fact is well over twice the size of the Scout. The Searcher is powered by a 35 kW (47 hp) piston engine. It not only features updated avionics and sensor systems as well as greater endurance, but increased redundancy for improved survivability. It is also used by Thailand, Turkey[2] and the Republic of Korea.
More than 100 Searcher IIs are also in-service with the Indian Air Force. In 2002, one of these was shot down deep over Pakistani territory by a Pakistan Air Force F-16.[3] Searchers II were also sold to Singapore.[4]
A Searcher belonging to the Indian Navy crashed down (5th of May 2010) near the Southern Naval Command airstrip at Kochi, India. The UAV lost contact with the base at 7.25 p.m and soon came crashing down. No damage was caused since the aircraft fell in an uninhabited area.
Specifications (Searcher II)
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Capacity: 68 kg (150 lb) payload
Performance
References
This article contains material that originally came from the web article Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.