Israel unveils new drone fleet that can reach Iran

BBC News ^ | Feb 22, 2010 | BBC News

[BP2]

The Israeli Air Force has introduced a fleet of pilotless aircraft that can stay in the air for nearly a day and fly as far as the Gulf.

The Eitan drones, which have a wingspan of 86ft (26m), are the size of Boeing 737 passenger jets.

They can reach an altitude of more than 40,000ft (12,000m) and fly for more than 20 consecutive hours.

AP quoted defence officials as saying the planes could provide surveillance and jam enemy communications.

Israel, along with the US and other Western nations, believes Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons and has repeatedly suggested it could attack the country if diplomatic attempts to curb the programme fail.

At the fleet's inauguration ceremony at an airbase in central Israel, IAF commander Maj Gen Ido Nehushtan said the new drone "has the potential to be able to conduct new missions down the line as they become relevant".

Israeli officials refused to say how large the new fleet was.

[justlurking]

If someone familiar with stealth technology can weigh in:

This appears to be powered by a turbo-prop engine and a pusher propeller. I've read that metal propellers create a large radar cross section. But, what about composite or wood propellers?

And, can the rest of the craft be built with a composite structure and covered with fabric, to reduce the radar cross section?

I realize it's hard to hide the engine, but can the rest of the craft be constructed to reduce the RCS to the point that it won't be detected (or perhaps ignored) until it's too late to stop it?

[BP2]

If someone familiar with stealth technology can weigh in.

This appears to be powered by a turbo-prop engine and a pusher propeller. I've read that metal propellers create a large radar cross section. But, what about composite or wood propellers?

And, can the rest of the craft be built with a composite structure and covered with fabric, to reduce the radar cross section? I realize it's hard to hide the engine, but can the rest of the craft be constructed to reduce the RCS to the point that it won't be detected (or perhaps ignored) until it's too late to stop it?

Well, the stealth angles and radar-absorbing skin would be necessary to put that off. To reduce the risk of infared heat-seeking missiles, you'd also need an on-board system to reduce the outtake air temperature.

By comparison, this is the UK's stealth drone, which obviously looks quite more advanced than the new Israeli drone:

And yes, the prop would reflect a lot of radar energy back. It doesn't take much.

When Scott O'Grady's F-117 was shot down in Yugoslavia in 1999, it's rumored that it's because one of his bomb bay doors did not close (either a malfunction or pilot error). That open door was enough for the ground-based missiles to get radar-lock and shoot him down.

O'Grady was fortunately rescued by our SAR forces. But on a side note, left behind was Scott's F-117 canopy, which is on display at the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade.

[teeman8r]

so, with all these drones in the air... it is possible to disrupt a nuke enough to miss its intended target and possibly destroy, say demascus, instead of tel aviv...

interestinger and interestinger.

i wonder if the new laser guided rocket systems to take out icbms can be used on these drones... it says they can handle most platforms...

teeman8r

bring it on... i back israel and the one true God.

[TankerKC]

When Scott O'Grady's F-117 was shot down in Yugoslavia in 1999...

Scott O'Grady was shot down in an F-16 over Bosnia in 1995.