Brazilian Army receiving new UAVs for ISTAR missions

The Nauru 1000C VTOL UAV is designed to bolster airborne situational awareness for the Brazilian Army. (Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Gomes Saraiva/Brazilian Army)

The Brazilian Army on 4 March began receiving the Nauru 1000C unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) it ordered for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions.

The acceptance process unfolds in different phases at the Army Aviation Command (CAvEx) in Taubaté, State of São Paulo, with support from the Army Evaluations Center (CAEx), and is expected to last until about June, Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Gomes Saraiva of the Army High-Staff told Janes. The acceptance process will be followed by a technical and operational experimentation phase.

Three UAVs, designated the V2-1 Nauru by the army, were purchased by the Logistics Command (COLOG) from local company XMobots Aeroespacial e Defesa on 10 December 2019 for BRL15.7 million (USD3.1 million). The contract included training and a 36-month integrated logistics support.

The fleet is scheduled to be initially operated by the 6th Military Intelligence Battalion (6º BIM) located in Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, and can be deployed anywhere in the country, Lt Col Saraiva said.

The Nauru 1000C is a fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) all-weather daylight and night-capable multi-mission UAV. The airframe is made of aluminium and composite materials, and is powered by a hybrid propulsion suite consisting of a Zanzottera Technologies 305HS 29 hp combustion engine with a 50 litre fuel tank and eight T-Motor 11.5 hp brushless electric motors, according to Lt Col Saraiva.