Abu Dhabi - The target drones, made by Etimad Industrial, are part of the equipment of the UAE Armed Forces.
Published: Fri 22 Feb 2019, 10:09 PM
An array of drones that are designed and manufactured in Abu Dhabi were among the latest military technologies showcased at the International Defence Exhibition (Idex) in Abu Dhabi.
The target drones, made by Etimad Industrial, are part of the equipment of the UAE Armed Forces and have been designed for a number of roles. These drones can fly on its own, programmed from an operator console.
Etimad Industrial has been making targets for around two years now. Their products range from low-speed targets for anti-aircraft artillery calibration to fast, manoeuvrable drones to train air defence crews.
At the slowest end of the range is the piston-engined ED-170, with a speed of up to 250kmph. Able to fly at up to 550kmph is the ETJ-32/40, a swept-wing target with either 32kg or 40kg of thrust and a payload capability of 5kg.
The similar ETJ- 80 has two jet engines, providing 64kg or 80kg thrust and a top speed of 700kmph. It can reach 25,000ft and can run for 60 minutes.
At the top of the range is the EDJ-80, which has forward-swept wings, twin-jet propulsion of up to 80kg thrust, 10kg payload, and a speed range of 100 to 700kmph.
Etimad has also designed a bungee launcher that provides a maximum acceleration of 10g to a launch speed of 50m per second. The ramp's elevation is adjustable from zero to 15 degrees.
Also on display at the UAE firms' section was Barij Dynamics' range of precision-guided, air-launched munitions as part of the Emirates Defence Industries Company (Edic) display.
The enterprise, which is now a joint venture between Edic and Denel Dynamics, has created a range of precision munitions for the UAE Air Force and Air Defence.
The first weapon produced by the joint venture was Al Tariq, which was based on the Denel Umbani. This is a kit that turns a 125lb Mk 81 or 250lb Mk 82 unguided bomb into a precision weapon with GNSS/INS (Global Navigation Satellite System/Inertial Navigation System) guidance.
Dual-mode guidance systems have been developed with either imaging infrared (with automatic target recognition) or semi-active laser seekers combined with the GNSS/INS system. The weapon comes in a standard Al Tariq-S configuration that has a range of around 40km, or Al Tariq-LR that adds a large fold-out wing
kit that extends the range to around 120km.
Barij Dynamics also produces the Sejeel bomb kit that adds GNSS/INS or SAL guidance to Mk 81 and Mk 82 bombs.
Like Al Tariq, it can be programmed with different attack profiles, and has off-axis and moving target attack capabilities.
The company has also produced a strap-on kit for the larger 2,000lb Mk 84 weapon, with GNSS/INS and SAL guidance systems.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
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