IAI/Malat Solutions for the Maritime Arena Any country with a proximity to the sea has an important operational need to positively and unambiguously identify, in time, threats that originate in the maritime arena and prevent hostile and illegal activities in its territorial water or against areas within its range. Such activities may include illegal fishery, piracy, terror activities and any other activity aimed against the country's sovereignty. These threats can be small or large targets with various radar cross sections and thus require means with pin-point detection and identification capabilities. IAI/Malat, a world leader in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in over three decades, meet these needs by offering its comprehensive maritime solution, which complies with every country's operational needs. IAI/Malat maritime capabilities go ways back into the mid 1980s when its Pioneer and Hunter UAV Systems were operating with the US Marines and US Army from aircraft and helicopter carriers. This was followed by a new project of developing a specific unmanned Helicopter UAV. A Pioneer Rocket Take-off A Pioneer recovery into the ship's net
IAI's unmanned Helicopter prototype Hunter leaving a US Navy Aircraft Carrier Hunter on aiircraft carrier deck Today IAI/Malat is expanding the user's horizons by offering him its comprehensive solutions for the maritime arena, based on its fixed wings Maritime Heron UAS and NRUAV VTOL System.
IAI/Malat's Maritime Heron System is able to take off and land from an aircraft carrier and its Naval Rotary UAV (NRUAV) is capable of operating from a land base as well as from a dynamic maritime platform (any ship landing deck). Maritime Heron over the sea Antenna of a maritime station The NRUAV The Maritime UAV missions The maritime UAV serves in homeland security, paramilitary and war-time missions. It expands the user's horizons by providing Over The Horizon Targeting (OTHT) and by increasing its scanning area, its time over target and its mission flexibility. The maritime UAV also serves in real time battle damage assessment. During peace time the maritime UAV system prevents the penetration of any sea borne hostile intruder, protects the country's rights and interests in the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) and supports in Search and Rescue operations.
In war-time the maritime UAV system achieves naval superiority, assists in destruction of enemy naval forces, defends the coast lines and support ground operations (littoral warfare). Both the Maritime Heron and the NRUAV systems are fully capable of carrying multiple payloads and sensors simultaneously and provide a full array of intelligence gathering capabilities from target detection to its full, positive identification. IAI's combat proven maritime capabilities enable total mission control on both Maritime Heron System and NRUAV System from land based GCS or sea based (ship borne) GCS and transfer of control from one GCS to the other in real-time. IAI's Maritime Heron system can provide extended endurance of operation (up to 45 hours continuously) with real-time intelligence gathering, accurate target laser designation and with adverse weather operation capability through its SATCOM capabilities. Its NRUAV System can play the role of a force multiplier to various vessels in any maritime theater with over the horizon ISR and target designation Concept of operation (CONOPS) of a maritime UAV system This concept was prepared in order to support the navy missions in war and peacetime. The role of the Maritime UAV system is to provide unmanned, long endurance, aerial reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition. In addition, the UAV can create a comprehensive, real time, naval tactical picture for the ship s commander and naval HQs. A typical Maritime UAV System consists of at least three aircraft, with GCS, Launch & Retrieval Station (LRS), Ground Data Terminal (GDT), Launch & Retrieval Data Terminal (LRDT) and mission oriented Payloads. A typical Payload consists of a Maritime Patrol Radar (MPR) with multi-mode functions, an Electro-Optical sensor with day/night capabilities and an optional ELINT package. The payload package provides the necessary data for detection, classification and identification of surface vessels in the open sea. Having a line of sight data link package provides a system range of 250 km. An air data relay extends the patrolling distance to 350 km. Aircraft equipped with a SATCOM dish can fly to a distance limited only by the fuel quantity carried on board and the SATCOM coverage. A typical IR image of a merchant ship shows the system s ability to identify surface vessels in a routine maritime patrol mission. IR image of merchant ship Typical Radar Targets Display
The IAI/Malat Maritime Patrol UAV System provides a tactical naval picture based upon real-time persistence surveillance, in support of Navy and Coast Guard missions. The Maritime UAV is a mature system that complements manned Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) missions, mainly in the ISTR roll. The system provides a solution for both homeland security missions and battle space dominance. IAI/Malat concept for VTOL UAV Systems The concept is based upon a conversion of a commercial helicopter platform into a VTOL UAV that joins IAI/Malat's family of fixed wing UAVs. This unmanned Helicopter configuration has the following advantages over developing of a new rotary UAV: Available low price helicopters with approved reliability, built to stringent FAA/JAA requirements, provide ideal existing platforms Short conversion time with minimum technical risks Low conversion cost The idea is that the VTOL UAV will fulfill the missions of the manned naval helicopter mainly in the Dull Dirty and Dangerous (D 3 ) missions.