Little Niti is not big, but it is clever

The Kintex company (Stand 3903) brings news of the new Niti UAV, the fruit of collaboration between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and other institutions. They have produced a UAV with aerodynamic stealth characteristics enhanced by a special coating that is said to make the Niti undetectable by radar.

The Niti is equipped with miniaturised sensors to perform various tasks, from surveillance to jamming radio-activated IEDs, but other uses are being investigated, including a version to detect and analyse gases to warn of a chemical attack. No less ambitious is a variant that could carry two missiles.

Although it flew for the first time only in November 2006, the Niti is already the subject of an export order from Turkey. Equipped with a TV and/or IR camera, the Niti can perform border patrol tasks or provide surveillance for police and armed forces, but can also be used to switch digital data in real time between fixed and mobile ground units and satellite receiver stations.

With a wingspan of 5.38m and length of 2.7m, the Niti is powered by a 5hp two-stroke engine, giving a 600km range and a cruise speed of 125km/h. As a first venture into world markets, Bulgaria’s little Niti has a promising future.