The Israeli navy wants to equip its Dvora-class patrol boats with small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air systems.
Col Sassi Hudeda, head of the navy's weapon systems department, says the effort to develop a small VTOL system is being made with Israeli industry and the University of Beer Sheva.
"We want to use fully autonomous small VTOL unmanned systems that will be capable of taking off and landing from our Dvora-class patrol boats," he says.
Israel Aerospace Industries has been involved in the development of VTOL systems, with other Israeli companies involved in similar efforts.
Steadicopter showed its small rotary UAS, the Black Eagle 50, at an Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International exhibition in Tel Aviv during March.
Steadicopter director Rami Hadar would not comment about potential military applications for the system, which has a 35kg (77lb) maximum take-off weight and 3h endurance.
Source: Flight International
