Tel Aviv: The dramatic growing demand for vertical take-off drones is resulting in new designs by Israeli companies. Blaze, a subsidiary of Israeli IMCO group has unveiled the Spider VTOL: A mini electrical fixed-wing VTOL UAV utilising a single motor and a single propeller.
According to the company, unlike traditional fixed-wing VTOL UAVs that have dedicated motors, propellers and structural parts for performing take-off and landing that severely hinder their overall performance, the Spider VTOL utilizes a single nose-mounted electrical motor and propeller for both vertical take-off and landing as well as for horizontal flight. These capabilities enable the Spider VTOL to uniquely perform point take-offs and landings in small areas with scarce space, such as a forest clearing or a small ship, and to operate in harsh wind and weather conditions without compromising performance.
Lightweight and highly transportable, the Spider VTOL’s full operational cycle, from deployment, through launch and mission execution, to recovery and packing, can be performed by a single operator. Its innovative flying wing design and belly-mounted payload configuration contribute to its high performance, assuring high operational availability of up to 3 hours, high survivability, and fast redeployment time. The Spider VTOL can be equipped with various advanced payloads, providing covert real-time day/night Intelligence for wide variety of open areas and urban scenarios such as military, law enforcement, low-intensity conflict, security, peacekeeping, search and rescue missions, disaster management and civil applications.
Blaze’s CEO, Itai Toren said, “Ideal for covert, enhanced performance, over-the-hill ISR missions for tactical forces, border security, strategic infrastructure protection and maritime operation, the easily deployable Spider VTOL can be operated by a single operator, vertically take-off and land on any terrain using its innovative single motor, single prop take-off and landing mechanism, enabling it to be launched from a small boat or an armoured fighting vehicle (AFV), and operate in harsh environments and GPS denied zones. It is a ground-breaking tool that enhances forces’ situational awareness and tactical terrain dominance.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
