Breaking news
Italian Air Force to upgrade its MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles fleet.
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World Aviation Defense & Security News - Italy |
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| Italian Air Force to upgrade its MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles fleet | |||
The
Italian air force has confirmed that it is in the process of acquiring
the Rafael Reccelite reconnaissance pod and has its sights sets on the
Selex Seaspray 7500E radar to upgrade its fleet of General Atomics MQ-9
Reaper unmanned air vehicles. |
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 Italian Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle |
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The
Reccelite pods are being acquired through a direct sale with Rafael and
are expected to reach full operational capability across the fleet of
unarmed UAVs in 2016, Lt Col Lorenzo Rispoli, MQ-1
and MQ-9
programme office deputy lead for the Italian air force, told the SMi Unmanned
Aerial Systems conference in London.
The radar would provide a wide-area surveillance capability for the Italian Reapers, but the acquisition is currently pending government approval. “We are now working on developing new capabilities with the Reccelite pod, then will work on the integration of the Seaspray 7500E200 radar…to have it on board for surveillance,” Rispoli says. “Technically, we are ready to start the [radar] programme, but we are waiting for the budget approval." “In the future, we want a multi-spectral capability, which is why we are developing the Reccelite and Seaspray capability.” He adds that the air force is also considering increasing the size of its fleet of Reapers, which are operating at full capability in Afghanistan ahead of withdrawal in the coming months. (Source: Flightglobal.com) |
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