Posted on 01/15/2014 5:11:16 AM PST by Pan_Yan
(Reuters) - An unmanned aircraft used by U.N. peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo crashed on Wednesday near the eastern town of Goma, sources at the airport and interior ministry said.
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A source at Goma's airport confirmed the incident. A spokesman for the U.N. mission was not available for comment.
The Falco drones used by the U.N. force are manufactured by Selex ES, a unit of Italian defence group Finmeccanica. The firm was not immediately available for comment.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
The Falco UAV flys at a height of 6,500m and can carry a maximum payload of 70kg. It has the capacity to fly at a maximum speed of 60m/s with an endurance of eight to14 hours. It is powered by a single 49kW (65hp) gasoline engine to provide required electricity for the aircraft during its operation in air.
It is also building an upgrade kit to increase the UAV's payload capacity to 120kg and endurance to 18 hours with a maximum take-off weight of 750kg.
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