Demand for unmanned aircraft expected to rise

The demand for unmanned aerial systems is expected to continue growing, as more countries look to add unmanned aircraft for military use due to changing operational needs, said the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) group.

The company is the global leader in unmanned aerial systems and pioneered the development of the technology in the 1970s.

Such capabilities have changed the way military surveillance and reconnaissance missions have been conducted in recent times.

IAI's corporate vice-president and general manager for its military-aircraft group, Mr Roni Segal, explained: "When the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flies, you don't see it and you don't hear it.

"That dimension was very hard to achieve 30 years ago so, now, countries understand that the technology should be part of their national security."

He was speaking to my paper at the Singapore Airshow 2012, which will be open to the public over the weekend.

It is the company's experience in developing integrated systems to support its network of UAVs that has cemented its role as a global leader in the unmanned-systems sector, said Mr Joe Weisman, who handles marketing for IAI.

Mr Segal declined to reveal how many types of UAV systems have been developed or the number of countries which use them. But he said that the company is proud that its Heron 1 UAV is used by the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

In particular, Mr Weisman highlighted the company's unique top-down approach in the development of such aircraft.

"Many other UAV companies start with a remote-controlled airplane like a toy, and then upgrade it. Our approach is to take the best in manned aircraft and then to scale it down to a usable UAV system," he explained.

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