New French-made UAW Unmanned Aerial Watchtower of ECA in live demonstration at Eurosatory

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Eurosatory 2016 Official news online coverage report show daily pictures video International Exhibition of Land Defence & Security army military equipment Paris France industry technology
 
Eurosatory 2016
Defence & Security International Exhibition
Official News online with Editorial and Web TV
Paris, France
13 - 17 June 2016
 
ECA Group at Eurosatory 2016
 
 
New French-made UAW Unmanned Aerial Watchtower of ECA in live demonstration at Eurosatory
The French Company ECA presents for the first time in live demonstration at Eurosatory its new UAW (Unmanned Aerial Watchtower). The system is based on civilian pick-up with a landing and take-off platform mounted at the rear of the vehicle used to operate the IT180 captive drone.
     
Eurosatory Live Demonstration ECA group 640 001ECA Group showcases its new Unmanned Aerial Watchtower, designed to operate the IT180 drone
     
The ECA UAW (Unmanned Aerial Watchtower) presented in live demonstration at Eurosatory 2016 is unique in the world. It was partially financed by the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) through a RAPID program. The French armed forces are interested in these solutions, both for implementation from land vehicles and for use from naval platforms.

Deployment of the drone and its recovery from the pick-up are fully automated. The operator activates the system without getting out of the vehicle and, in the shelter of the vehicle, receives a video feed from the drone 150 meters up in the air.

The IT180 captive drone (IT180-999) is based on the IT180 electric drone. This has been modified to connect the drone to the ground by a thin cable which unwinds from a winch on the ground. The cable supplies the drone with energy and is used for communication, turning the airborne drone into a surveillance point over a wide perimeter from an altitude of 100-150 meters. The captive drone allows continuous surveillance of events, demonstrations and sensitive sites. It can also, for example, serve as a radio relay or constitute a local GSM network.

The IT-180-999 has a gyro-stabilised Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) video camera for detection, recognition and identification capabilities.

ECA Group Infotron supplies the UAV IT180-999 a tethered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) solution for permanent operations. Powered by a ground power supply, the Airborne Drone IT180-999 can fly for an almost unlimited period of time and perform various type of missions, such as surveillance or radio relay.