French airframer Daher has successfully completed the first flight of its EyePulse prototype, an uncrewed air vehicle (UAV) based on its existing TBM single-engined turboprop.
A medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) platform, the EyePulse has been developed as part of an ongoing call for projects issued by the French DGA procurement agency.
Flown from the manufacturer’s base in Tarbes in southern France, the maiden sortie caps a six-month effort by Daher and partner Thales to develop the new UAV, including the integration of the latter’s ScaleFlyt avionics suite.
Thales also supplied the ground control station and the ground-to-air command-and-control data link.
Daher says the work demonstrated its ability to respond rapidly to a growing need for French UAV manufacturing capacity.
The first flight showcased the EyePulse’s automatic flight sequence and included an entirely autonomous landing phase.
Integration of the avionics suite onto the EyePulse was led by Daher’s Fly’in rapid prototyping centre in Tarbes.
A modular design, Daher says the platform will be suitable for a variety of missions and available for domestic and export markets.
“We are leveraging our skills and resources to prepare for serial drone production,” says Nicolas Chabbert, chief executive of Daher’s aircraft division.
“This EyePulse flight demonstration confirms the relevance of our approach and our ability to scale-up production.”
