Flying Production has unveiled Da Vinci, a multirotor micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of autonomous take-off and landing, and an endurance of 90 minutes with a 5.4 kg payload.
The Da Vinci is equipped with six motors, enabling it to return to the launch point even if one motor malfunctions, Tal Shahar, chief executive officer, Flying Production, told IHS Jane's on 13 September at AUSA 2014 in Washington, DC.
Da Vinci includes an integrated ground control station (GCS) with a touch-screen display to fly the UAV and enable it to circle, hover, upload waypoints and manage targets. The GCS is also used to manage payloads, enable communications with the UAV and download video.
The UAV weighs 4.5 kg and the GCS weighs 7 kg including the battery, making the entire system man-portable and only requiring two soldiers to carry, set up and operate.
It is capable of reaching a speed of 45 km/h and operates at a maximum altitude of 2,000 ft.
The UAV has a range of 7 km, although Shahar claims that this can be extended to 40 km.
At AUSA, Flying Production displayed a Da Vinci UAV with the company's own dual sensor electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) payload, Galileo, and a system from Kontron.
"Other small quad systems can carry 200 to 300 g for 6 to 10 minutes. We [have a] high-end EO/IR payload that weighs 1.3 kg and it can fly up to 80 minutes with this payload," Shahar said.
He added that a customer could employ other systems - such as signals intelligence or communications intelligence equipment - on Da Vinci. "We can customise the GUI [graphical user interface] on the GCS to operate the payload."
The company owns the GUI and software that enable the GCS to integrate with and control the air vehicle.
Flying Production has also developed a unique solution with a command-and-control vehicle, which is based on a Ford truck. In the rear of the vehicle there are three Da Vinci UAVs and a power supply. The GCS plugs into a docking station from where an operator can fly the UAV even if the vehicle is on the move.
A complete Da Vinci system includes one GCS and three UAVs.
The system is under production and Shahar said the company would have produced 20 aircraft by the end of 2014. "We can produce two new systems every month, which means six UAVs every month."
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