Procurement: French Commandos Fly Skylark

Archives

March 29,2008: French special operations (commando) forces have joined Canada and Australia in buying the Israeli Skylark UAV systems (three ten pound UAVs, plus one set of ground control equipment). The Skylark, like most micro-UAVs, is a battery powered plastic aircraft. It can stay up for 90 minutes per flight and can operate up to ten kilometers from the base station (radio gear and a laptop computer). The UAV can be equipped with night vision video equipment, or a color day camera. The Israelis pioneered the development of UAVs that worked (the U.S. spent a lot more money on UAVs, never quite getting it right, before buying Israeli systems and getting on the right track.) Skylark is used by the Israeli army and has a good track record.

The United States has over a thousand micro-UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan. French troops apparently saw the U.S. and Israeli micro-UAVs in action in Afghanistan. Ten different firms responded to the French call for bids. The size of the sale was not revealed, but probably involves at least a few dozen of the ten pound UAVs, and several million dollars (to include training and support.)

 


Article Archive

Procurement: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close