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2022-06-01
Thales’ Spy’Ranger 330 Receives Type Certification
The Spy’Ranger 330, in service with the French Army as part of the SMDR programme, has obtained its first type certification by the French defence procurement agency’s airworthiness authority.
The certification testifies to the system’s proven performance in combat situations. It also enables the French Army to proceed with operator instruction and training with the SMDR1 mini-UAS2 reconnaissance system, deploy it in overseas theatres of operations without requiring specific flight approvals, and sustain it over long periods.
The system was designed, developed and put into industrial production for the French defence procurement agency’s SMDR programme by an ecosystem of French companies specialising in light unmanned air systems for front-line forces. With three times the range capabilities of its predecessor, the DRAC1, the SMDR system brings the French Army a new, strategically important capability.
The Spy’Ranger 330 mini-UAS and the Spy’Ranger 550 tactical mini-UAS are part of the same family of systems. The Spy’Ranger family is designed to meet the requirements of front-line and reconnaissance units engaged in overseas theatres of operations, offering them a single system that combines several key sub-systems to support and provide an image intelligence capability for front-line units – a robust, long-endurance air vehicle designed to operate in difficult environmental conditions, an imaging system to contribute to tactical superiority, a secure datalink and an easy-to-operate command-and-control (C2) system.
Additionally, the SMDR air vehicle can fly for nearly three hours in a radius of 30 km and the system brings the armed forces access to a number of major technological innovations. Key components of the system include a multi-sensor (EO and IR) high-definition optronics payload, which is mounted in the Spy’Ball gyrostabilised gimbal and uses high-performance image processing techniques developed for combat aircraft pods such as the Rafale’s TALIOS system, the Micro-TMA secure high-speed datalink, and the combat-proven Spy’C command-and-control system. Plus, the electrically powered Spy’Ranger 330 air vehicle has an innovative architecture and is made of carbon fibre for low weight and added robustness.
The SMDR programme has demonstrated the complexity of developing a mini-UAS system for military requirements, in particular in terms of survivability, resistance to cyberattacks and electromagnetic threats, and the ability to operate in harsh environmental conditions (rain, wind, sand, dust, etc.).
As the programme’s prime contractor, Thales has assured a high level of safety, security and airworthiness for the SMDR system, which opens a new chapter in the sovereign unmanned flight capabilities of the French forces. Since December 2020, the French Army has operated the SMDR in Mali as part of Operation Barkhane and has reportedly been fully satisfied by its performance. Operating in daylight and at night, the SMDR system has contributed to the success of military operations on a routine basis, helping to provide force protection and keep soldiers safe.
“Thales and the members of the French mini-UAS ecosystem are trusted partners of the armed forces and the French defence procurement agency on the SMDR programme. To step up to the challenges of the return of high-intensity conflict, Thales is drawing on the innovative potential of this ecosystem, the technical and industrial capabilities it has developed for the SMDR programme, and other strategic partnerships to ensure that France secures its access to these critical technologies,” said Benoit Plantier, Vice President, Optronics and Missile Electronics, Thales.
New Era of Intelligence
The Spy’Ranger family of mini-UAV systems from Thales heralds a new era in intelligence gathering by forward units and confirms the crucial role of optronics in the collaborative combat of tomorrow.
Large tactical UAVs cannot provide the agility that battlegroups need on the front line or the ability to act at very short notice in fast-moving combat situations. The Spy’Ranger mini-UAV system brings front-line units an autonomous intelligence gathering and offensive reconnaissance capability, making them versatile, better protected and more connected.
Spy’Ranger was designed from the outset as a family of mini-UAV systems to perform a wide range of missions with an optimised logistics footprint. Although the airframes are optimised for different mission profiles, both systems use the same day/night high-definition payload, secure datalink and power chain. In addition, the ground control station and its user interface are identical to help operational users to switch effortlessly from one system to another.
Spy’Ranger is optimised for easy deployment and operation in non-permissive environments. The whole system can be assembled and in the air in less than 12 minutes.
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