Sagem (Safran) recorded a new order at the end of December 2013 from French defence procurement agency DGA for five additional Sperwer tactical UAS (including two on option), to be deployed by the French army. They will be delivered in 2015.
The Sperwer tactical unmanned aircraft system was deployed in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2012 by three members of NATO : Canada, the Netherlands and France. In the French army, the Sperwer tactical system is operated by the 61st Artillery Regiment, which successfully deployed it in this theatre from November 2008 to June 2012 for protection, intelligence and ground support missions. (*)
The UAS to be produced for this latest contract will involve Sagem’s Dijon and Poitiers plants for the optronic sensors, the Fougères plant for the printed circuit boards, and the Montluçon plant for the flight control and navigation systems, as well as integration of the UAS. A number of other companies in France also provide subassemblies. Sagem can provide ongoing support for the French army’s Sperwer UAS up to and beyond 2017.
Based on the company’s extensive experience with the Sperwer system, Sagem is now developing the Patroller long-endurance tactical UAS to meet the French army’s future needs, as well as for international markets.
Sagem offers the full range of in-house technological capabilities needed to develop and produce a state-of-the-art unmanned aircraft system: gyrostabilized day-night optronic sensors, inertial navigation, avionics, data links, the ground segment (control stations, image processing, mission planning and restitution, etc.), integration, flight certification and flight testing of systems and payloads, etc.
Sagem has produced over 25 complete tactical UAS to date, and 150 aircraft for these systems.
(*) In recognition of these missions, the 61st Artillery Regiment received the cross of military valor (Croix de la valeur militaire) during a ceremony in Hôtel des Invalides (Paris) on November 20, 2013. –