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Elbit Systems Unveils New Hybrid, Small, Tactical Drone That Boasts 18 Hours of Operation

Aerospace company Elbit Systems is full of big announcements these days. After one of its aircraft has become the first drone in Israel to be allowed to fly in civilian airspace, now Elbit follows with another juicy piece of news: it will soon showcase a new military UAS (unmanned aerial system) for the first time.
Skylark 3 tactical mini UAV 6 photos
Photo: Elbit Systems/YouTube
Skylark 3 Hybrid UASSkylark 3 UASHermes 900 StarLiner UASHermes 900 StarLiner UASHermes 900 StarLiner UAS
It’s been less than a week since Elbit Systems revealed that its Hermes 900 StarLiner UAS received approval to fly above populated areas in Israel, just like any other civil aircraft. In what was described as a world’s first, the Hermes StarLiner received a Type Certificate and can be used from now on for various applications. It can participate in border security and anti-terror operations, secure mass public events, take part in search and rescue missions, and more.

Now, Elbit announces another achievement: its new Skylark 3 Hybrid aircraft is ready to be introduced to the world. It will be showcased for the first time at the Singapore Airshow 2022 event, which takes place between February 15 and February 18.

The Skylark 3 Hybrid is described as a small, tactical UAS equipped with a hybrid propulsion system, both an electric and an internal combustion engine. It's an aircraft designed to lower costs and increase mission effectiveness, claiming to offer up to 18 hours of operations. It relies on its combustion engine to rapidly get to the area of interest and then switches to its electric engine to continue its mission.

The drone has a 4.7-m (15.4-ft) wingspan, a service ceiling of 12,000 ft (3,657 m), and a maximum take-off weight of 50 kg (110 lb). It can integrate a wide variety of payloads and it gets launched via a pneumatic launcher that can be mounted both on a car or vessel. A crew of two people is necessary to deploy it and remotely operate it.

Those who want to take a closer look at the Skylark 3 Hybrid UAS can do so at the aforementioned event. Elbit specifies it will be at stand C-N65 in the Israeli Pavilion.
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Editor's note: Photo gallery also includes images of the Skylark 3 UAS and Hermes 900 StarLiner

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About the author: Cristina Mircea
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Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
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