DEFENCE
fiightglobal.com 22 August-4 September 2017 | Flight International | 21
G500 homes in on
certification target
Business Aviation P22I
srael’s Meteor Aerospace has re-
vealed the design of the Impact
1300, its developmental medium-
altitude, long-endurance (MALE)
unmanned air vehicle. The new
product, which will have a maxi-
mum take-off weight of 1,300kg
(2,860lb), is now in full-scale de-
velopment, Meteor confirms.
Flight tests are due to com-
mence by 2019, with the UAV
having a twin-boom design and
to be powered by an engine
sourced from the general aviation
sector. It will also be available
with an alternative diesel engine.
Meteor says its developmental
design will be a cost-effective and
flexible system, capable of operat-
ing with a wide range of sensors.
The UAV has two spacious
and easily accessible payload
bays, the company says, with the
forward one to carry electro-opti-
cal/infrared payloads and the
rear to accommodate heavier
equipment, such as a synthetic
aperture radar/ground moving
target indication sensor. Retracta-
ble landing gear will ensure that
belly-mounted sensors have awide and unobstructed field of
view, it notes.
Meteor has not disclosed fur-
ther details, but the Impact 1300 is
likely to have an operating ceiling
of 30,000ft, with an endurance of
more than 30h, depending on its
selected mission configuration.Avionics, flight and ground
control systems are based on Me-
teor’s existing assets developed in
support of the 730kg-class Impact
700, which is already in series
production for undisclosed cus-
tomers. Functions will include
an automatic take-off and landing
mode, and future growth options
could include integrating large,
heavy and high-power payloads
and satellite communications
equipment.
Company president Itzhak Nis-
san – who was previously chief
executive of Israel Aerospace In-
dustries – says the new MALE
product will be unique in several
ways. “We did not establish Me-
teor to do more of the same,” he
notes. “We are working to bring
to the market new designs with
exceptional capabilities.” ■DEVELOPMENT ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV
Meteor plans to make a bigger Impact
Private Israeli company reveals configuration of medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV, with first flight expected by 2019
H
industan Aeronautics has
performed the first flight of
an upgraded two-seat, maritime-
strike version of the Sepecat Jag-
uar fitted with Elta Systems’ EL/
M-2052 active electronically
TESTING MIKE RAJKUMAR BENGALURU
India’s Jaguar modernisation schedule extended
scanned array radar. The Indian
company was originally sched-
uled to complete the $520 mil-
lion upgrade, bringing 61 Jaguars
to the Darin III standard, by De-
cember 2017.Final operational clearance
was to have been achieved by
June 2013, following the comple-
tion of work on three versions
of the aircraft: single- and twin-
seat examples and the maritime-
strike model.
But initial operational clear-
ance was not granted by the Indi-
an air force until November 2016,
and the modernisation and up-
grade programme is now likely to
run until 2022.
India is the only nation that
continues to fly the Jaguar, with
117 examples in its air force in-
ventory, according to the nation’s
defence ministry.The Darin III modernisation ef-
fort involves a deep upgrade of
the Jaguar’s avionics and cockpit,
in addition to the integration of
modern weapons.
The flightdeck gains two new
multifunctional displays, and an
engine and flight instrument sys-
tem replaces older analogue
equipment. Navigation, electron-
ic warfare and weapons delivery
systems have also been enhanced.
Darin III-standard Jaguars will
also be fitted with MBDA’s AS-
RAAM short-range air-to-air mis-
sile, while Textron Systems’
CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
has already been integrated. ■Twin-boom design will have maximum take-off weight of 1,300kgMeteor AerospaceFleet enhancements under the Darin III project will run until 2022
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