BAE Systems Phoenix
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Phoenix | |
|---|---|
 British Army Phoenix |
|
| Type | Reconnaissance UAV |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | BAE Systems |
| Maiden flight | 1986 |
| Retired | 2006 |
The BAE Systems Phoenix is an all weather, day or night, real time surveillance Unmanned Air Vehicle. It is a twin boom UAV with a surveillance pod, from which the imagery is data linked to a ground control station (GCS).
The Phoenix is a fairly typical combat surveillance UAV, powered by a 20 kW (26 hp) piston engine, but is distinctive in that it is a "tractor" aircraft, with the propeller in the front. This tends to obstruct a sensor turret, and so the sensor payload, built around an infrared imager, is carried in a pod slung well under the fuselage. The Phoenix is recovered by parachute, landing on its back, with a crushable "hump" on the back taking up the impact. The Phoenix is mostly made of Kevlar and other plastics.
For the British Army, Phoenix provides intelligence direct to artillery forces, to command level, or to a Phoenix troop command post. The principle method of communication from the GCS to artillery on the ground is via the Battlefield Artillery Targeting System (BATES). The UAV can be launched within an hour of reaching launch site. A second UAV can be launched within a further eight minutes and up to two UAVs can be controlled from the same ground station.
The British Army took longer to field a tactical UAV than the US Army, but finally settled on a solution, the BAE Systems Phoenix. First flight was in 1986, but introduction of the Phoenix was painfully delayed and the program attracted a good deal of criticism. The Phoenix saw limited operational use as part of the British contribution to Kosovo Force (KFOR) and in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Phoenix attrition was high during the Iraq campaign, though British Army officials say it gave excellent service for artillery spotting, stating that some of the losses were due to deliberate sacrifices, in which the UAV was kept on station beyond the time it could be recovered rather than let targets get away. The system was operated by the 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery
The final operational flight of the Phoenix was conducted by in May 2006. [1] The Phoenix was originally supposed to remain in service until 2013, but the British felt they need something better, and set up an international competition designated "Watchkeeper" for a next-generation UAV system in 2002. A group led by Thales Group of France won the competition in late 2004, with the system built around the Elbit Hermes 180 tactical UAV and Elbit Hermes 450 endurance UAV. The Watchkeeper WK450 system is expected to be fielded in 2008. It began operational trials with British forces in Iraq in 2007. [2]The 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery also uses the Desert Hawk UAV.
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Capacity: 110 lb (50 kg) payload
- Wingspan: 18 ft 0 in (5.6 m)
- Gross weight: 386 lb (175 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Weslake Aero Engines WAE 342, 25 hp (19 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 104 mph (166 km/h)
- Endurance: 5 hours
- Service ceiling: 9,000 ft (2,800 m)
