Aeronautics has signed a contract to supply two Dominator XP unmanned air systems to the armed forces of Mexico. Based on Diamond Aircraft’s twin-engined DA42, the Dominator XP has a flight endurance of 28 hours and is capable of carrying a 300 kg (660lb) payload. The modified aircraft can be flown to an altitude of up to 30,000ft (9,150 m) and has a top speed of 190kt (351 km/h).
A first export sale of the type was made in mid-2011, shortly after Aeronautics had secured clearance from Israel’s defence ministry. One Dominator XP is currently operated by CAE in Alma, Quebec, and is being used to support Project “Miskam”, which is aimed at evaluating the use of UAS in civil airspace.
The reported new sale to Mexico follows a recent marketing effort to offer the converted aircraft with a variety of payloads. Aeronautics declines to comment on the matter.
As recently reported by Flightglobal, Aeronautics is currently evaluating the conversion of additional manned aircraft types for unmanned operations.
Source: Flight Global