Vector, Aladdin and Songbird: what reconnaissance drones Germany supplies to Kiev

Alexander Sychev

Modern military operations are no longer possible without flying unmanned reconnaissance and artillery fire coordinators. Tactical ground reconnaissance becomes history. Drones are taking its place. That is why the West includes UAVs in almost every package sent to Ukraine.

The Vector UAV is produced by the German company Quantum Systems. They were created for industrial use, but the military quickly got their bearings and adopted them for reconnaissance and reconnaissance.

The drone is driven by electric motors and three rotary rotors mounted on the ends of the wing and tail. Wingspan - 2.8 meters. The duration of the flight reaches three hours. The aircraft design makes it possible to fly at speeds up to 72 kilometers per hour and feel stable in the air with a maximum wind speed of 12 meters per second. Flight range - 20 kilometers.

The Vector drone is capable of vertical takeoff and landing. It does not require a catapult launcher or runways. No net or parachute is used for landing.

The highlight of the patented system is the ability to convert the craft from a fixed-wing aircraft to a tricopter drone. Tools are not required. Everything is assembled on a latch system. To do this, it is enough to remove the wings and tail section and install brackets with vertical lift screws. The resulting tricopter drone is called the Scorpion. It is about one kilogram lighter than the Vector, which weighs 7.5 kilograms, can fly for 35 minutes at a top speed of 54 kilometers per hour.

In the bow there is a powerful optics with an image stabilization system, various sensors and an object tracking system.

The Aladdin drone is a small drone. It was created by EMT. The large number of drones being transferred is explained by the fact that Germany has begun to replace them with more modern and sophisticated ones.

The engine and pusher propeller are located at the rear of the airframe, and the universal gyro-stabilized platform with sensors is at the front. The wingspan reaches 1.5 meters. Starting weight - 3.2 kilograms. The electric motor accelerates the UAV to 76 kilometers per hour. Flight altitude - up to 150 meters.

The drone is capable of conducting reconnaissance for an hour within a radius of 15 kilometers. It is launched by hand or with the help of a rubber catapult. The flight is carried out on a predetermined route, but the operator can make course changes. The drone can be equipped with five different cameras. The package also includes a control station, two aircraft and a mobile weather station.

Songbird is produced by Germandrones. This is a whole family of vertical takeoff and landing vehicles - Songbird 60, 100 and 150. The wingspan of the Songbird 100, for example, exceeds three meters. The maximum takeoff weight is almost 11 kilograms, of which two kilograms is the payload.

Four electric motors accelerate the drone to a maximum speed of 108 kilometers per hour and lift it to a height of two thousand meters. The duration of the flight reaches one and a half hours. During this time, the drone can fly 90 kilometers.

The UAV is equipped with a video camera with a 20x zoom and a thermal imager with a 2x zoom. Video communication with the ground station is carried out in LTE / 5G standards within a radius of up to 10 kilometers. When there is no connection, Songbird accumulates the collected information on the built-in media.