Article Posted on : - Apr 12, 2012

Georgia's new Unmanned Aerial System. President's administration photo.

TBILISI (BNS): Georgia has carried out the flight test of its domestically produced Unmanned Aerial System, the Ministry of Defence said.

President Mikheil Saakashvili inspected the unmanned aerial system which was tested in extreme terrain and weather conditions on Tuesday, it said.

According to the MoD, the Air vehicle can stay aloft for 8 hours and can fly up to 3,000 meters above the ground and reach a top speed of 160 km/h.

It consists of an aircraft and the ground segment. Flight control is performed using the software. The air unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine, and takeoff is performed via pneumatic catapult.

The new unmanned aerial system with dual camera gimbal, photo and infrared camera, can be used for reconnaissance and surveillance.

The UAV has a parachute system for landing and an airbag to prevent damage on impact. The system can be operated in various environmental conditions and in wide temperature range, it said.