TSAMTO, November 23. The British Navy will receive an additional 12 small-sized RQ-20 "Puma" UAVs from AeroVironment to equip main-class warships.
As reported by Navyrecognition.com With reference to the press release of the British Navy dated November 17, the first three RQ-20 Puma UAVs were delivered to the 700X naval squadron at the Caldrose Naval Base in Cornwall last year, which are used to train personnel aboard the River-class patrol ship Mercy.
The 700X Squadron has its own training program for the operation of the Puma UAV. In addition, other types of unmanned aerial vehicles are being evaluated in the squadron.
The latest version of the Puma-3AE UAV can be used on land and at sea, carried by one serviceman, launched "by hand". The wingspan of the UAV is 2.8 m, the maximum take-off weight is 6.8 kg. The UAV is equipped with an EO/IR surveillance unit "Mantis i45". The duration of the flight is about 2.5 hours with continuous monitoring and high-resolution image output at any time of the day. The UAV provides tasks at a distance of up to 20 km in the line of sight with a standard antenna and up to 60 km with a long-range tracking antenna LRTA (long-range tracking antenna). The device is waterproof and can land on water.