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Image courtesy of Delair-Tech.
Delair-Tech and ECA Group will partner to develop a tactical mini-drone specifically for the defense sector.
The DT26M, a mini-drone reconnaissance system, will be completely designed and produced in France. The system will be capable of being deployed in less than 10 minutes from any theater of operation and will make it possible to carry out reconnaissance missions within a 30 km radius. The drones will be used as tools for making tactical decisions in land operations such as security of vehicle convoys.
The UAS, constructed from composite materials weighing 15 kg, is capable of flying for 2.5 hours and is equipped with visible and infrared cameras, making it possible to see humans up to 2.5 km away, or vehicles from up to 10 km away.
Video is transmitted in real time over distances exceeding 30 km by a secured radio connection. Advanced encryption and video-tracking functions and formatting of video according to NATO standards were also added to the system in order to meet operational requirements.
The new ground station, developed concurrently with the system, can put into operation both fixed-wing Delair-Tech drones and ECA’s UAV IT180 rotary-wing drones, already in service in the French armed forces. This ground station will also make it possible to dispatch ECA robots, thus minimizing the logistical footprint when activating robot systems within the armed forces.
In addition to Delair-Tech and ECA, the industrial group is also bringing together SME and agency partners throughout Bretagne, PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) and Midi-Pyrénées. Production chains have already been established in the region for controlling supply and quality, with a strong impact on employment.
“This partnership marks a joint willingness to federate the French industrial ecosystem. It is the alliance of a solid and experienced agency and an SME who are full of agility and innovation, for the creation of a French international champion,” stated Michael De Lagarde, the founder of Delair-Tech.
Delair-Tech is contributing its experience in the civilian markets and thus is able to offer drones that are easy to operate, low-cost, and which benefit from numerous hours of flight on an international scale. ECA is contributing its know-how in the defense sector in order to adapt the civilian technologies of Delair-Tech to military operational requirements.
“Our offer is solid, agile and economical. Solid, thanks to the recognized experience of ECA for 80 years now in the supply of defense solutions and their logistical support over several decades. Agile, because we are developing custom-made technologies for our customers and are imagining new applications. And lastly, economical, because we are working in extremely competitive sectors, and we know how to offer the best of technology, all while controlling costs,” commented Guénaël Guillerme, the General Manager of ECA.
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