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MALE capability from Super Ranger
Tuesday, 11 September, 2007
From lead-free small-arms ammunition to light armour protection against shaped ordnance, Ruag is promoting a wide variety of products on Stand 1391. But the company is also featuring the Super Ranger, claimed to be the first UAV to be built in accordance with the new international UAV Systems Airworthiness Requirements.
The Super Ranger has been developed following market research showing that some tactical systems operators wanted a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV capability, but at a lower cost than models currently available. So the Super Ranger is intended to help reduce lifecycle costs dramatically, while providing nearly all the features of a MALE UAV system.
Ruag claims that its new UAV can provide 70 per cent of a MALE capability. The Super Ranger has a 500kg maximum take-off weight and can carry a payload of up to 150kg. Moreover, in order to meet ‘stealth’ requirements, the new UAV will be hard to detect on radar screens, while a very low noise four-cylinder, four-stroke engine with fuel injection makes it difficult to be heard above battlefield sounds.
A proven fully automated take-off and landing system allows missions to be initiated even under zero visibility conditions such as fog, rain or snowfall, while an advanced landing system enables the Super Ranger to alight on concrete runways using its retractable landing gear and fully automated brakes. Alternatively, by deploying an integrated skid system, the UAV can land on unprepared surfaces.
 With an endurance of up to 20 hours, the new Super Ranger UAV can carry as many as four payloads simultaneously |