Elbit Systems Ltd. is apparently working with the Israeli Ministry of Defence to develop an unmanned cargo plane, dubbed the “Flying Elephant”. Sources say that a cargo unmanned aircraft is a “huge, slow, self takeoff and landing pallet carrier that would fly through high winds and land in austere, unpaved areas.”
The Ministry of Defense’s Research & Development Directorate (Mafat) launched the project several weeks ago. Under the unpublicized multiyear contract, Elbit System will develop multiple prototypes of the Flying Elephant, which will be designed for maximum safety, stability, and carrying capacity.
The cargo UAS will have limited range given the close proximity of most combat theaters where Israel is likely to deploy large numbers of ground forces. Future versions of the Flying Elephant may be configured for medical evacuation missions, with ground troops uploading severe casualties for the return flight home.
“The intensifying threat from rockets and missiles of all types is driving changes in the way we employ existing assets, as well as the requirements shaping our future force,” an IDF general staff officer told “Defense News”. “Certainly, unmanned alternatives will be needed for scenarios that expose aircrews [of C-130 cargo planes and utility helicopters] to exceedingly high risks.”
Defense and industry sources say that the development contract covers four years, with possible options for optimizing the aircraft for supporting medical evacuation missions.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman confirmed the recently awarded development programme, and estimated that the first prototype should be ready for testing within two years, but declined to provide additional information.
Source: Globes