FARNBOROUGH, England -- Aerospace technology group Tekever has introduced a twin-engine, fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle designed for maritime surveillance.
The craft, called the AR5, is intended to help operators keep tabs fish populations, identify oil pollution and monitor drug trafficking, amongst other uses.
"The AR5 is a clear advance in our systems," said Ricardo Mendes, Tekever CEO. "It provides an excellent way to complement existing maritime surveillance operations and a low-cost response to the huge challenges posed with the maritime environment."
Although the AR5's official unveiling came earlier today at the Farnborough International Airshow, the UAV is already in operation over the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean following Tekever acquisition of several European surveillance contracts.
The AR5 can carry payloads including maritime and synthetic aperture radars, and automatic identification systems -- the latter of which allows the units to identify a ship's name, position, speed, course, heading and other identifying information -- in beyond radio line-of-sight situations.
"This system takes most of the capability of a tactical UAV and shrinks it down to a more affordable and commercially available solution," Mendes said.
