The Finnish Insta Steel Eagle ER UAV, which was tested and developed in collaboration with a Ukrainian company. (Insta Group Oy)
Finnish technology company Insta Group Oy has secured mass-scale production for thousands of its Steel Eagle Extended Range (ER) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) per month, Teemu Sainio, director of communications at Insta, told Janes on 5 February.
The UAV system includes a 15 inch carrier for its Insta Steel Burst Payload, relay UAV, and a transmitting ground antenna. The payload includes 3,000 steel or tungsten pellets with an effective aerial coverage of around 2,000 m2. According to Sainio, if the payload is detonated 20 m above ground it is capable of 1.5 impacts per square metre. Each pellet is 3.7 mm in diameter and can penetrate around 2 mm of steel at 20 m range.
While not revealing the UAV's range, maximum speed, or what sensors or communication systems it carries, Sainio said its range is “multiples times” that of the previous model.
Insta designed the UAV with an unnamed Ukrainian company. It was field tested and approved in Ukraine, said Sainio. “Our unique payload is specifically designed against soft targets on the battlefield. It's very effective against infantry.”
The UAV also has the “possibility of autonomous mission execution”, added Sainio.
The Insta Steel Eagle ER UAV is currently available for the Ukrainian market, the company said, with ambitions to expand its offering to Europe and NATO countries.
For more information, please seeSumma Defence partners with Ukrainian firms for ‘industrial-scale' UAV productionandFinland launches RfI for UAVs .
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