Unmanned hybrid helicopter to launch at Singapore Air Show

Israeli rotary-systems company Steadicopter Ltd has built the device, the Black Eagle 50H, to run on a combination of gas and electricity. It can carry up to 12kg of payloads and has a long range – flying for up to five hours at a time – making it suitable for many applications. The company said: “The objective of the Black Eagle is to provide Maritime and Land solutions for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR). These features are provided using an air vehicle with the ability to vertically take-off and land, with hovering capability, together with a day and night sensor.”

The Black Eagle 50 system has been authorized for commercial use in civilian airspace by the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI).

The Ground Control System (GCS) is responsible for mission planning, mission control, mission debriefing, and maintenance activities of the Black Eagle System in accordance with military requirements. In the GCS application the operator may create, plan, control and change flight missions in real time by using a GIS 2D/3D map and a simple ‘point and click’ interface.

The system will go on display at the Singapore Air Show from Feb. 15 to 18.