Nine-Pound Electric Aircraft Designed For Urban Environments

A small, hovering unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called GHOST will be introduced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at AUVSI's Unmanned Systems North America next week in Washington, DC.

GHOST UAV IAI Photo

GHOST weighs approximately 9 pounds, and provides real-time intelligence to ground forces operating in urban areas. GHOST is equipped with an automatic vertical takeoff & landing system and can loiter for up to 30 minutes. The system was designed with twin rotary electrical engines so it can be silent and support day and night special operation missions.

The man-machine interface and operational concept is based on the principles of computer games, which IAI says makes the system extremely intuitive to operate and requires little training. The entire system can be carried in backpacks by two soldiers and includes: two platforms, batteries, and a command and control unit with communications. GHOST is suitable for paramilitary and homeland security applications due to its simplicity and ease of operation.

Itzhak Nissan, IAI's President & CEO said: "The innovative concepts used to develop GHOST highlight IAI's goal to do its utmost to support the ground forces. GHOST demonstrates IAI's leading technology and know-how gathered through years of experience in unmanned aerial systems."

GHOST will be on display at Booth 713 - Stark Aerospace, a subsidiary of IAI North America. Other UAVs on display will include the ETOP (Electric Tethered Observation Platform) and the HERON UAS. Heron recently reached full operational capability as part of the German Air Force's activities in Afghanistan.

FMI: www.iai.co.il